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“In general, accidents are affected by things like traffic intensity, road repairs, bad weather conditions. This year, comparing the data with last year, we also noticed a new trend: the impact of local tourism on the frequency of traffic accidents.
They began to register more in those places where the flows of travelers throughout the country are greater: on the coast and other tourist cities, in areas where there are a number of attractions ”, says Andrius Žiukelis, Head of the Department of Experts of the company of BTA insurance.
Influence of local tourism
According to the expert, probably the main reason why road accidents in Lithuanian resorts occur more frequently this year than last year is the growing popularity of local tourism.
“Residents who yearn to travel, do not want to take risks and travel abroad and avoid plane flights, organized them nationally, visited tourist objects, chose to rest in spas, and inevitably there were more traffic accidents.
In the living environment, road users are already used to orientation, they know all the road signs and restrictions. When arriving in an unfamiliar city or area, greater vigilance and alertness and lower speeds are required to be able to detect road markings in a timely manner and maneuver safely. The increase in the number of traffic accidents also shows that this is not always observed ”, comments A. Žiukelis.
Frequency of traffic accidents, calculated according to 100 thousand. the number of traffic accidents per capita, showed that during 2021 In seven months, compared to the same period last year, 5 times more traffic accidents were recorded in the municipality of Ignalina, Anykščiai d. and Birzai d. – about 3 times, Druskininkai, Telšiai district, Molėtai district. and Zarasai – on average 2 times more.
According to insurers, the accident rate has increased this year in almost all municipalities in the country. Decreasing trends were observed in only three: Joniškis d. In the municipality, the frequency of traffic accidents this year was 22 percent. lower than last year, Kupiškis d. in the municipality – 5 percent, Plungė d. – 1 percent lower.
The list of the most dangerous streets does not change
To learn about accident trends on the country’s streets and highways, insurance experts have also compiled lists of the most accident-prone highways and streets for the past three years.
Vilnius Savanorių Avenue and Ukmergės Street, Kaunas Savanorių Avenue, Klaipėda Taikos Avenue and Šilutė Street became the most accidental every year.
The number of road accidents in Lithuania in 2018-2020. Vilnius Savanorių avenue was a leader in the period of 1937, when the insurance company registered traffic accidents almost daily, during the three years: 937.
Klaipėdos Taikos ave. (806 events), Vilniaus Ukmergės str. (744), Kaunas Savanorių ave. (708), Klaipėdos Šilutės pl. (695), Vilnius Geležinio Vilko str. (594), Kauno Taikos ave. (559), Vilnius Ozo (525), Žirmūnų (467) and Kalvarijų (462) streets.
“Naturally, in places with higher car traffic, the probability of a traffic accident is higher, so the places most prone to accidents remain the same for several years in a row.
The events that are registered in them are usually minor, but they could also be avoided by following a simple rule: when driving, focus only on driving, ”says the insurance expert.
According to him, another important aspect is the traffic organization, which was planned many years ago and does not change due to accident situations and statistics.
To do this, the authorities in charge of ensuring road safety could start the remodeling of intersections, the relocation or installation of pedestrian crossings, and make other changes that have become obsolete as a result of changes in the circulation of vehicles and other users of route.
Of the suburban roads, the majority of traffic accidents occur on the A1 Vilnius-Kaunas-Klaipėda highway; 414 cases were registered here last year. Many of them took place on the section of the road that passes through Kaunas.
A. Žiukelis says that this may have been influenced by the road repair works carried out, as well as the extremely heavy traffic on this stretch, where even several major arteries of car traffic intersect.
In second place by accident in 2020. was the A2 Vilnius-Panevėžys highway with 61 traffic accidents, in the third – the A5 Kaunas-Marijampolė-Suvalkai highway, where 53 traffic accidents occurred. The A10 Panevėžys-Riga highway ranked fourth with 33 traffic accidents.
