Road safety improvements have been seen in France and Turkey

Both France and Turkey have seen road safety improvements. In Turkey the latest data shows a slight fall in traffic accident fatalities. A recent National Police Department (NPD) research from Turkey indicates that over 10 people die/day in traffic accidents in the country. The research spans the period from 1985 to the end of 2011 and reveals that 3,440,635 were injured in traffic accidents and 152,468 people were killed. But by adding people who died in hospital afterwards, the death count is expected to top 160,000 for the monitored period. The data shows that the death toll has decreased 29.73% in the last decade. In the monitored period, material damage caused by traffic accidents stood at US$248 billion, roughly 60% of the yearly budget for public investment. The research highlighted that 34% accidents resulting in injury or death were caused by speeding, while 87% were due to driver error. The data for the past decade indicates that Turkey’s population has grown by 10.2%, while the number of registered motor vehicles has grown 76.45% and licensed drivers have increased 57.32%. In 2011 alone, the traffic accident count stood at 131,468 resulting in injury or death. Meanwhile during March 2012, the French road mortality rate dropped 9% to 274 deaths as compared to the same month in 2011, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Some 301 people died on French motorways in March 2011. In the first quarter of 2011, the number of road deaths dropped 13.6%. From April 2011 to 31 March 2012, some 3,845 people lost their lives on French motorways. In March 2012, the number of people seriously injured in driving accidents fell 5.6% to 5,016, compared with 5,316 in March 2011. However in the Netherlands, data shows that traffic fatalities increased in 2011. Information from the Dutch Government reveals that traffic fatalities in the Netherlands rose in 2011. Final figures are not yet available but the increase is believed to be around 2%. This follows an 11% decrease in 2010 and is the first increase since 2000.