The road accident and traffic enforcement report for May 2024, released today by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), also states that 16,332 minor injuries were recorded.
“Compared to the first five months of 2023, there were nine fewer fatalities (-4.8%), but 514 more accidents (+3.8%), 56 more serious injuries (+6.2%), and 589 more minor injuries (+3.7%). However, the severity index decreased by 8.3%, from 1.39 to 1.27. It should be noted that, compared to 2023, there was an increase in road traffic in 2024, which corresponds to an increase in the risk of accidents, although there was a 3.4% decrease in road fuel consumption,” the document states.
The ANSR also makes a comparison with the same period in 2014, highlighting that the “growing trend was visible in accidents, with 2,474 more (+21.4%), in fatalities, with eight more (+4.7%), in serious injuries, with 161 more (+20.3%), and in minor injuries, with 2,552 more (+18.5%).”
The authority also makes a comparison with 2019, the reference year for monitoring the targets for reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries by 2030 set by the European Commission and Portugal. There were 15 fewer fatalities (-7.7%) and 318 fewer minor injuries (-1.9%), but on the other hand, there were 110 more serious injuries (+13.0%) and 217 more accidents (+1.6%).
The report also states that collisions were the most frequent type of accident in the first five months of 2024, accounting for 52.8% of accidents, 41.3% of fatalities, and 45.2% of serious injuries, while run-off-road accidents, which represented 33% of total crashes, were responsible for 44% of fatalities.
According to the document, between January and May, the number of fatalities within urban areas (100) was higher than outside urban areas (79). Compared to 2019 and 2023, there was an increase in fatalities within urban areas (+8.7% and +7.5%, respectively), but the trend was decreasing outside urban areas (-22.5% compared to 2019 and -16.8% compared to 2023).
Regarding the type of road, in the first five months of this year, 62.8% of accidents occurred on streets, representing 34.1% of fatalities and 48.2% of serious injuries, while 19.7% of accidents occurred on national roads and 5.9% on highways.
The ANSR also indicates that about 72% of total deaths between January and May corresponded to drivers, while 15% were pedestrians and 12% passengers. Compared to 2023, the number of fatalities decreased by 21% among passengers and 10% among pedestrians.
According to the document, passenger cars accounted for 72.1% of the total vehicles involved in accidents in the first five months of the year, which increased by 4.1% compared to the same period in 2023.
In the first five months of the year, compared to the same period in 2023, there was an increase in the number of accidents in 14 of the 18 districts, with greater expression in Évora (+29%), Viana do Castelo (+27%), and Guarda (+15%). Regarding the number of fatalities, there were increases in seven districts, with the largest increases in Braga and Lisbon (eight more in each). As for decreases, Setúbal, Beja, Porto, and Vila Real stand out.
Between January and May, more than half of the number of fatalities occurred on the road network under the responsibility of Infraestruturas de Portugal (37.4%) and Brisa and Ascendi (3.4% each).
