There were two fatalities in the second quarter of 2007, both being males. The number of reported traffic accidents reached 4,036, a decrease of 39 cases over the same quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

The highest decrease in such accidents was registered in the ‘Northern Harbour’ district, down by 57 cases. On the other hand, a significant increase was recorded in traffic accidents occurring in the ‘Northern’ district, up by 75 cases, or nearly 13 per cent.

In the quarter under review, 177 motorists sustained injuries as a result of traffic accidents; of these, 139 suffered slight injuries and 36 suffered grievous injuries, while the injuries sustained by two drivers proved fatal.

During the same period, 117 other persons – 75 passengers and 42 pedestrians – suffered slight injuries while 27 – 10 passengers and 17 pedestrians – suffered grievous injuries. There were no fatalities among passengers or pedestrians.

On a gender basis, slightly injured persons in the second quarter of 2007, numbering 256, were more or less evenly distributed. Grievously injured persons increased to 63, of whom 75 per cent were males.

The two fatalities in this quarter were both males. The largest number of casualties for both males and females occurred in the 25-39 age group.

In the second quarter of 2007, 321 traffic casualties were reported. 77.6 per cent of the casualties were caused by passenger cars while 11.5 per cent were caused by motorcycles.

On a locality level, St. Paul’s Bay is the locality with the highest rate of traffic accidents, with 246 cases. Qormi and Birkirkara follow, with 227 and 221 reported accidents respectively.

In the quarter under review, nearly 59 per cent of road traffic casualties were reported in the weekend period, between Friday and Sunday.