Road traffic accidents involving personal injury, final figures, 2002

Of the 12 395 persons injured in traffic accidents last year, 1 151 were dangerously or seriously injured, while 10 274 were slightly injured. The remaining injuries were unspecified. In comparison, the figures for 1993-2002 show a yearly average of 301 persons killed, 1 266 dangerously or seriously injured and 10 248 slightly injured in the last ten years.

More accidents involving cyclists

A total of 12 cyclists were killed and 796 were injured on Norwegian roads last year, compared with 6 killed and 697 injured in 2001. However, the number of cyclists killed or injured on Norwegian roads in 2001 was the lowest that has been recorded in the last ten years. Since 1993 the number of killed and injured cyclists has been reduced by just above 25 per cent.

Fewer pedestrians killed

The number of killed and injured pedestrians decreased in 2002. While 43 pedestrians were killed and 877 were injured in 2001, the figures for 2002 show that 33 pedestrians were killed and 862 injured on Norwegian roads last year. The figures for the ten-year period 1993-2002 show that an average of 42 pedestrians were killed and 963 injured each year.

Increased number of motorcycle accidents

A total of 37 motorcyclists were killed and 721 were injured in 2002, an increase of nine persons killed and 28 persons injured compared with 2001. Compared with the average figures for 1993-2002, 10 more motorcyclists were killed and 76 more injured in 2002.

Twice as many children killed

15 children under the age of 15 lost their lives and 1079 were injured in Norwegian traffic in 2002, an increase of 8 children killed and 122 children injured compared with 2001. The figures for 1993-2002 show that an average of 17 children were killed and 1 006 injured on Norwegian roads each year. Of the 15 children that were killed in road traffic accidents last year, nine were passengers of automobiles, two were cyclists, two were pedestrians and two were sledging.

Nearly half the persons killed are in the age group 15-34 years

49.3 per cent of the persons that were killed in Norwegian traffic last year, were between 15 and 34 years old. Altogether, 153 persons in this age group were killed on Norwegian roads in 2002, an increase of 35 persons compared with 2001. The number of persons injured in this age group also increased compared with the previous year. A total of 6 087 persons between 14 and 34 were injured in Norwegian traffic in 2002, which is 397 more than in 2001.

Fewer persons killed in the age group 75-79 years

The number of fatalities in the age group 75-79 years decreased more from 2001 to 2002 than similar figures for any other age group. A total of 12 persons were killed and 244 were injured in this age group last year, compared with 25 killed and 267 injured in 2001. Five of the 12 persons that were killed in this age group in 2002 were drivers of automobiles, which is a decrease of five compared with 2001. Of the other fatalities in this age group in 2002, two were passengers of automobiles, two were cyclists and three were pedestrians.

Road traffic accidents in Nordic countries

According to preliminary figures from Statistics Denmark , there were 7 152 accidents on Danish roads in 2002. A total of 459 persons were killed and 8 829 were injured in these accidents.

Preliminary figures from Statistics Finland show 6 196 accidents on Finish roads in 2002, with a total of 415 persons killed and 8 156 injured.

The Swedish National Road Administration has estimated that 518 persons were killed on Swedish roads in 2002. Figures for the number of accidents and injuries in Sweden will be presented later this year.

Relatively high number of accidents in Norway

In proportion to the size of the population, Norway has a higher number of accidents and injuries - but somewhat fewer fatalities - than in Denmark and Finland.

Comparative figures show that Norway had 192 accidents, 273 injuries and seven casualties per 100 000 inhabitants in 2002. Similar figures for Denmark show 133 road traffic accidents, 164 injuries and nine casualties, while the figures for Finland show 120 accidents, 157 injuries and eight casualties per 100 000 inhabitants in 2002.

The estimate for Sweden show six casualties per 100 000 inhabitants in 2002.

Read the tables for October, November and December 2002 .

The statistics are compiled from returns made by police authorities. Less severe accidents and injuries are therefore under-represented in the figures.

Tables:

• Table 1 Persons killed or injured in road traffic accidents, by group of road-user 1993-2002
• Table 2 Persons killed or injured, by road-user and degree of injury. 1993-2002
• Table 3 Persons killed or injured, by road-user and sex. 1993-2002
• Table 4 Persons killed or injured, by group of age. 1993-2002
• Table 5 Persons killed or injured, by road-user and age. 2002
• Table 6 Persons killed or injured, by road-user, police district and county. 2002
• Table 7 Persons killed or injured, by age, police district and county. 2002
• Table 8 Persons killed or injured in road traffic accidents, by group of road-user, type of residential area and group of accidents. 2002
• Table 9 Persons killed or injured in road traffic accidents in the Nordic countries. 1993-2002