Three road deaths in first quarter

There were three traffic fatalities in the first quarter of this year, all men, the same as in the January-March quarter of last year, according to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Office.

The number of reported accidents reached 3,710; an increase of 92 over the same quarter last year.

A total of 159 drivers sustained injuries as a result of traffic accidents. Of these, 127 suffered slight injuries and 29 were grievously injured. Other casualties comprised 45 pedestrians and 65 passengers. Of the recorded casualties - 269 in total - slightly injured persons numbered 209; of these, 123 were male and 86 were female. Grievously and fatally injured persons totalled 60; 41 were male and 19 were female. Persons aged between 25 and 39 comprised the biggest proportion of casualties - just over 34 per cent of the whole.

Seventy-four per cent of casualties sustained injuries in accidents involving passenger cars. Another 15 per cent were injured in accidents involving motorcycles.

A sizeable proportion of casualties - 43 per cent - were involved in weekend accidents, Friday to Sunday, the NSO said.