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Staff Reporter

PALMA
A total of 47 people have lost their lives on Balearic roads in the first five months of the year, one more than during the same period last year.
Ten of the victims were less than 30 years old and 22 were not wearing a seat belt or a crash helmet at the time of the accident.
This was revealed by figures released yesterday by the Road Safety section of the Balearic Traffic Department. They showed an increase in deaths recorded on Majorca (three more) and a drop in Ibiza and Formentera (three less) in comparison to last year.

Forty people have died on the roads of Majorca since the beginning of the year, while on Ibiza and Formentera just four people have lost their lives. Minorca, for its part, recorded three deaths, one more than last year.

Also, according to the report, May was the month during which there were most road deaths on the islands, a total of 15 (one more than in 2006), while in April eight people died (two less). February was the month which had the biggest increase in comparison with last year, with 11 deaths in comparison with three in 2006, while in January three people died (two less).

In global figures, the total number of deaths on the islands' roads during the last 10 years (1996 to 2006) was 1'396, of which 1'052 died on Majorca, 110 on Minorca, and 234 on Ibiza and Formentera.

The blackest year for the islands was 1999 when there were 155 deaths, while 2006 was the year when there were fewest deaths (102), followed by the year 2002 (108).

There continues to be more deaths among men (41) than women (6) while, of the total, 12 people who died in accidents were over 65. Thirty one of those killed were drivers, three were passengers, seven pedestrians, and six cyclists.

Eight of those killed in accidents were foreigners from the European Union and another eight were from outside the EU.
The report reveals that a rental car was involved in five of the accidents, a motorcycle involved in another five, and 26 of the accidents happened during the day and 18 at night.