According to the accident and road inspection report for the first nine months of 2021, there were 20,476 accidents with victims in mainland Portugal, which resulted in 284 fatalities, 1,491 serious injuries and 23,938 minor injuries.
Compared to the same period of 2020, there was a reduction in the number of fatalities, minus 18 (-6%) and an increase in serious injuries, plus 120 and minor, plus 1,109. Accidents with victims increased by 4.5%, plus 878.
Comparing the values of the continent between January and September 2021 with the average of these nine months of the previous five years (2016 to 2020), ANSR points to reductions in the totals of all the main indicators: accidents (-14.7%), victims fatal (-18.2%), serious injuries (-6.3%) and minor injuries (-17.3%).
More than 71% of fatalities were drivers.
Light vehicles were involved in 70.6% of accidents on Portuguese roads, according to ANSR, which registered a 19.7% increase in accidents involving bicycles and 5.8% involving heavy vehicles.
The report also indicates that, between January and September of this year, 88.1 million vehicles were inspected, in person and through automatic inspection means (more 0.3%), with 875 thousand violations detected (-9.3%).
If roads were better....if people were actually educated to be good, responsible drivers, if drinking and driving were heavily penalised, if cars weren't so heavily taxed and so people could drive safe vehicles....so many ifs.... As always, it is total lack of will and management. Sadly, drivers in Portugal are among the worst in Europe. There is no justification for this at all.
By K from Algarve on 28 Nov 2021, 20:34
I have just heard that indicators are to become mandatory and not an optional extra on vehicles.
By Paul Decourcy from Lisbon on 30 Nov 2021, 09:03
Might take another decade or two before people actually start using them (i.e. indicators) properly.
By K from Algarve on 30 Nov 2021, 20:02