The number of car accidents in Albania is decreasing, according to data from INSTAT.
In October 2020, there were 108 car accidents, down from 118 during the same month in 2019. This is a decrease of 8.5% for that month. Figures are decreasing overall as well as there were 1011 accidents in the first 10 months of 2020, down from 1254 in the first ten months of 2019. This marks an almost 20% decrease.
While the number of accidents went down, the number of injuries in October increased by 3.5% from 143 in October 2019 to 148 in October 2020. But when we look at the ten-month period, the injury rate has decreased by 23.4%.
Thankfully, the number of fatalities has also decreased quite significantly. 15 people lost their lives in October 2020, 10 less than the 25 people killed in the same month in 2019. A total of 153 people have lost their lives on the road in 2020 so far, down from 182 during the same period in 219.
In 85.2% of accidents, the cause was the fault of the driver. Those most likely to have an accident are aged between 25-34, accounting for over a quarter of accidents. This demographic is getting riskier as the rate of accidents has increased by 18.5% when compared to last year. Pedestrians were responsible for accidents in on 14.1% of cases, a decrease of 21% on the previous year.
Tirana remains as the area with the most accidents, followed by Durres, Shkoder, Elbasan and Fier. Gjirokaster is the ‘safest’ area, followed by Diber and Kukes.
In October, the government announced plans to have zero victims of road accidents by 2050. It was announced that police would be asked to focus on apprehending citizens who use the mobile and drive, those who do not wear seat belts, those who abuse alcohol and narcotics, and those who ride bicycles in violation of the rules.
Earlier in the year, it seemed that the number of deaths and accidents was increasing, despite lockdown. But these figures from INSTAT suggest things are now improving.
