The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), which published the February report and which also includes data on accidents in the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, advances that, in January and February, 5,256 accidents were recorded , which left 55 dead, 240 seriously injured and 6,308 slightly injured.
In relation to the same period last year, there was a reduction of 163 accidents with victims (-3 percent), 31 fatalities (-36 percent) and 143 slightly injured (-2.2 percent), while the number serious injuries suffered an aggravation of 20 victims (+ 6.3 percent).
In the Autonomous Region of Madeira there is a decrease in all indicators, with the exception of serious injuries, but in the Azores there was an increase of nine accidents, one fatal victim, eight serious injuries and 22 minor injuries (+25 percent), indicates the ANSR.
On the continent, 5,023 accidents were recorded, resulting in 53 fatalities occurring at the accident site or during transport to the hospital, 301 seriously injured and 6,041 minor injuries.
These data on the continent mean, according to ANSR, that in January and February there were 167 fewer accidents (-3.2 percent), 30 less fatalities (-36.1 percent), 161 less serious injuries (-2.6 percent) and an increase of six minor injuries (+2 percent) over the same period last year.
The data released are prior to the restrictions placed on the Portuguese due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the agency Lusa asking ANSR for the most recent data, but this was not provided.
The February report also indicates that the collision was the most frequent type of accident, despite the fact that the highest number of fatalities was due to accidents.
According to the ANSR, in January and February there was an increase in one fatal victim and a decrease in 27 seriously injured by being run over and, in the case of collisions and crashes, a reduction in the number of deaths by 51.5 percent and 4 percent, but an increase in serious injuries (20.0 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively).
Most accidents, as well as victims, occurred in streets and 49.1 percent of the deaths were registered among drivers, followed by pedestrians (32.5 percent) and backseat passengers (18.9 percent).
Within the scope of inspection, ANSR indicates that, in the first two months of the year, around 23 million vehicles were inspected, an increase of 60.4 percent over the period from January to February 2019, which resulted in more than 262 thousand vehicles infractions, with speeding being the most frequent.