The number of people involved in traffic accidents between April and June totalled 457, a lot more than the 283 victims in the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

Five pedestrians and a driver – four men and two women – died in the second quarter of the year. There were four fatalities in the same period in 2010.

Most of the casualties in the period under review – 379 – suffered slight injuries and 72 were seriously injured, the NSO said.

The majority, in 272 of the accidents, involved drivers who suffered some form of injury. Of these, 236 sustained slight injuries and 35 were seriously hurt. Seventeen passengers and 20 pedestrians also suffered serious injuries. The total number of road accidents reported in the second quarter stood at 3,732, down by 106 compared to last year. This meant that in the first six months of this year there were 7,026 accidents compared to 7,140 last year.

Most injuries were sustained by men, who were hurt in 265 accidents. Birkirkara registered the highest rates of traffic accidents (250 cases) followed by Qormi (211), and Marsa (209).