There was one traffic fatality in the first quarter this year, the National Statistics Office said.

The NSO said that in the first quarter, the number of reported traffic accidents reached 3,715, up by 12.8 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year.

Increases were recorded in most districts, with the Northern Harbour registering the highest increase. The Western district registered a decrease of 2.6 per cent in traffic accidents.

The NSO said that in the period under review, 347 traffic casualties were reported, 218 of which involved drivers. These included 192 slight injuries and 25 grievous injuries. The injuries suffered by one male driver proved fatal. Another 23 people (five passengers and 18 pedestrians) suffered grievous injuries, while 106 (73 passengers and 33 pedestrians) were slightly injured.

79.8 per cent of traffic casualties were caused by passenger cars, 11.2 per cent by motorcycles and 6.9 per cent were caused by goods-carrying vehicles.

In the first quarter, the highest traffic casualty rate (18.7 per cent) occurred on Sundays. The highest accident rate was recorded on Mondays, totalling 608 cases, and the lowest was recorded on Sundays, with 417 cases. Sundays topped the highest casualty-to-accidents ratio.

In the period under review, Qormi registered the highest rate of traffic accidents, with 242 cases. Birkirkara and Msida followed, with 233 and 196 reported accidents, respectively.