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Of: TT
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Photo: Jonas Ekströmer / TT
190 people have died in traffic during 2020. File photo.
For the second year in a row, the number of traffic fatalities on Swedish roads is falling and landing well below the maximum number that was this year’s target.
Satisfactory, but probably partly an effect of the pandemic, says the director general of the Swedish Transport Agency.
In 2020, 190 people died in traffic, according to preliminary statistics from the Swedish Transport Agency, which is the lowest number since the Swedish Transport Agency began measuring in the early 1950s.
– It is gratifying to have reached the milestone that existed for 2020, that is, a maximum of 220 fatalities, now there were 190, says the director general of the Swedish Transport Agency, Jonas Bjelfvenstam.
The number of deaths in car accidents has decreased, and this applies to both collisions and single-vehicle accidents.
Effects of a pandemic
This year’s statistics have just been compiled, they are preliminary and it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, according to Jonas Bjelfvenstam, but he believes that many years of systematic work with road safety have paid off.
– Not least the initiatives in the development of vehicles and the infrastructure that we have implemented have contributed to improving safety.
But the fact that the number is at a record low this year may also be an effect of the pandemic.
– Especially during the spring, we have seen significantly reduced traffic volumes, which probably positively affected the accident statistics, says Jonas Bjelfvenstam.
Of the 190 fatalities, at least 110 were users of the protected road, which means that they traveled by car, truck or similar. The death toll in motorcycle accidents was 28 and the corresponding figure for bicycle accidents was 14. 23 pedestrians died after being struck by a motor vehicle. In 15 of the cases, the exact circumstances are not reported, as there is a risk that the persons may be identified.
Speed and sobriety are important
The long-term goal, since 1997, is that no one is killed or seriously injured in traffic. The next milestone along the way is that the number of deaths will be cut in half by 2030 compared to an average death rate in 2018-2020.
– We will endeavor to achieve it next time and then of course it is necessary to continue this systematic work. Drivers must also take responsibility for their personal behavior in traffic and, as so often before, speed and sobriety are two of the most important parts of this.
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