More accidents with combined vehicles

A total of 257 combined vehicles were involved in 248 road traffic accidents in 1996. This was 16 more than the year before. Despite the higher number of accidents, fewer were injured or killed.

Twenty-three persons lost their lives and 314 were injured in road traffic accidents involving combined vehicles (tractor-trailers, semitrailers etc.) last year. In 1995, 41 were killed and 320 were injured.The comparative average figures for 1992-1995 were 33 fatalities and 273 casualties in 210 accidents.

The numbers for combined vehicles have to be viewed against the fact that the overall traffic statistics show more accidents and fewer fatalities in 1996. The number of accidents in 1996 was nearly two per cent higher than in 1995, while the number of fatalities was 16 per cent lower. On the other hand, the number of persons injured in traffic accidents increased just over two per cent in 1996, while casualties in combined vehicle accidents declined by the same amount.

Combined vehicles in three per cent of all accidents

Combined vehicles were involved in nearly three per cent of all accidents last year. The percentage of casualties in combined vehicle accidents totalled 2.6 per cent, while the number of persons killed accounted for nine per cent of all road fatalities in 1996.

Fully 96 per cent of the people killed in accidents involving combined vehicles in 1996 were motorists and passengers. Of last year's 23 fatalities, 21 were motorists. Four were combined vehicle drivers who lost their lives when their vehicles left the road. The other fatalities included one passenger in a combined vehicle and one pedestrian. Altogether 255 persons lost their lives in traffic accidents in 1996. Motorists and passengers accounted for 69 per cent of the fatalities.

Of the altogether 314 persons injured in combined vehicle accidents last year, 15 suffered very serious injuries, 38 were seriously injured and 261 received minor injuries.

New Statistics

Road traffic accidents involving combined vehicles, 1996.
Statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics and 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