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STAFF REPORTER

PALMA
ALCOHOL is a factor in more than 50 percent of the more serious traffic accidents in Palma.
During the last year, local police manned 8'534 drink-driving checkpoints in the city, 62 percent more than in 2006.
In total, 755 drivers were over the limit.
Despite the efforts of the Local Police in Palma, there were 4.3 percent more road accidents in the city last year than in 2006.
Drivers being distracted continues being the most frequent cause of accidents in the city (13.3 percent), followed by not maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles (12 percent) and not stopping at pedestrian crossings (11 percent).

A total of 2'127 were injured in accidents last year, up 9 percent on the year before, 11 of which were killed or died from the results of the injuries suffered in the accident. A further 539 suffered serious injuries.

The Local Police in Palma say that the rise in the number of accidents in the city is due to the greater number of motorcycles on the roads.
Last year, there was between 30 and 40 percent more motorcycles registered than the year before.
The presence of a motorcycle in an accident results, almost always, in an injury, according to the police.
The number of accident black spots in the city has increased in the last years to 28. The train tracks on Eusebi Estada has turned it into one of the most dangerous parts of the city for drivers. During the last 12 months there have been a total of 19 accidents in this area of Palma alone.

Meanwhile, the Local Police's telephone line, 092, registered a total of 192'768 calls last year, an average of 528 a day or one every 30 seconds. According to Commissioner Joan Mut, the average response time is less than nine minutes.