Surge in number of traffic fatalities

October will go down as the month with the highest number of road fatalities in Norway so far this year. Thirty-eight persons lost their lives, according to preliminary statistics.

October's grim figures show five more fatalities than September, when 33 people lost their lives on the roads. The number of fatalities is also higher compared to October last year, when 27 people were killed. The number of persons who lost their lives in October accidents is 15 higher than the average figure for the five-year period from 1992 to 1996.

Young and elderly motorists

Nineteen of those killed in October were motorists, most of whom were either young or old. Six motorists were between 19 and 28, while five were between 70 and 82. Other fatalities included three persons aged 33 to 37, four between 50 and 59 and one person in their sixties.

October road accidents also claimed the lives of 11 passengers, one motorcyclist, one moped driver, four pedestrians, one cyclist and one other road user. Three children under the age of 12 lost their lives in traffic accidents. Two were pedestrians, while the third child was a cyclist.

New Statistics

Road traffic accidents involving personal injury, October 1997.
Statistics are published every month in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics and annually in the Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Road Traffic Accidents. More information: Aud-Marit Beck, tel. +47 62 88 54 20, e-mail: amb@ssb.no or Jan Monsrud, tel. +47 62 88 54 07, e-mail: jam@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 48, 1997