Austria sees 11 pct increase in road fatalities in 2015
Xinhua, June 23, 2016 Adjust font size:
The number of fatalities on Austrian roads has seen a significant 11 percent increase in 2015 to reach 479 total deaths, Statistics Austria revealed on Wednesday.
The figure represents 49 more people dead than in 2014, though the statistics office noted that the number of actual road accidents remained the same.
By its statistics there were an average 104 traffic accidents each day in 2015, resulting in 130 injuries, with one casualty every 18 hours.
The figures for last year also showed increased fatalities in occupants of cars, light motorbikes, and pedestrians, though a decrease in deaths for cyclists.
Austrian Transport Minister Joerg Leichtfried said that real human tragedies lie behind the numbers.
He said the only acceptable goal is zero casualties. With 51 road casualties per million people in the country Austria sits average on an EU level, though he said countries such as Denmark have a significantly lower road toll. Endit