Death on roads: 43,000 killed, over 1 million injured

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Nearly 8 mln accidents on roads in 10 years claim 43,000 lives in Turkey, data say. DHA photo

About 43,000 people were killed and 1,718,000 people were injured in the 8,000,000 traffic accidents that took place in Turkey in the last decade.

According to statistics from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), Security General Directorate and Gendarmerie General Command, 7,946,646 traffic accidents occurred in Turkey over the last 10 years. A total of 43,051 people were killed in these accidents, while 1,718,704 people were injured.


Casualties
In 2002 439,777 accidents occurred, and 14,994,960 people had driving licenses. Of these accidents, 65,748 resulted in casualties. A total of 4,093 people were killed, and 116,412 people were injured.

Since then more people have gotten driving licenses and the number of accidents has increased in parallel. However in 2008, while there were more people with driving licenses and more accidents, the number of casualties decreased when compared with the previous year’s numbers.

In 2007 422,958 people had driving licenses, and this number reached 19,377,790 in 2008. In 2007 825,561 accidents occurred, while 950,120 accidents occurred in 2008.

There were 5,007 people killed in 2007 in traffic accidents, and 189,057 people were injured. In 2008 4,236 people were killed, and 184,468 people were injured.

In 2011 22,798,282 people had driving licenses, and 1,228,928 accidents occurred. Out of the 131,845 accidents with casualties, 3,835 people were killed and 238,074 people were injured.

Record
 More than a quarter million people, 298,000, have died in traffic crashes since Turkey began recording accident death tolls in 1955, while 3 million others have been injured.

The number of people who have been hurt or left disabled in traffic accidents within the same 50-year span is 3 million.

In the same period, 3,040,000 have been disabled in accidents. According to police data, 600,000 accidents occur each year, and an average of one person dies every hour.