The number of injuries caused by traffic accidents went up by 29 per cent in the first three months of the year, when compared to last year, the statistics office said yesterday.

By the end of March, 467 persons were injured in road accidents, with 262 of these involving drivers, marking an increase of 105 casualties over the same period last year.

Of these casualties, 393 (218 males and 175 females) were reported as being slight injuries, while another 70 were grievous. There were also four traffic fatalities during the first three months of the year, the NSO said.

According to the data, the largest number of traffic casualties, 73 per cent, were caused by passenger cars, followed by motorcycles, 15.4 per cent, and goods-carrying vehicles, six per cent.

Most casualties occurred on Saturday, while the highest number of accidents occurred on Thursday, with a total of 616 cases reported.

There were four traffic fatalities during the first three months of the year

During the first three months of the year, there were a total of 3,713 accidents reported, the NSO said. The majority of these were caused by passenger cars (73 per cent), followed by motorcycles (15.4 per cent). Vehicles carrying goods caused six per cent of the accidents, the NSO said.

While the smallest number of accidents was reported on Sundays, 384 cases, those that did occur on this day resulted in the most causalities.

The majority of accidents took place between 9am and noon, with 837 accidents taking place. Another 776 accidents took place between noon and 3pm.

The smallest number of accidents was reported between midnight and 3am, the statistics office said.

The majority of accidents took place in Birkirkara, with 306 cases, followed by Qormi (190 cases) and Marsa (158).