Carnage on the roads continues

IT was another tragic weekend on the roads in the Balearics, with two deaths, bringing the toll up to 65 so far this year, 30 of the victims being under the age of 30, according to the traffic authorities. The death toll up to August 8 this year is 12 lower than the same date last year, but the increase in the number of accidents in recent weeks has been alarming, with one death a day in the first week of this month. In June there were 11 deaths, compared to four in June 2004, while in July there were 12 deaths, double the number in July 2004.
The most frequent cause of accidents is distraction of the drivers or sleeping at the wheel, which caused 18 deaths.
Speeding accounted for a further 16 deaths, while the influence of drugs or alcohol caused nine deaths.
There was a high number of deaths in Ibiza-Formentera, 18 compared to eight in the same period last year.
Figures for Majorca were lower - 43 deaths compared to 57 in the same period last year - and for Minorca, down from 12 to four.
The number of people injured is also much higher than last year, 54 compared to 28.
Of the 65 people who died on the Balearic roads this year, 48 were men and 17 women. Eighteen were foreigners.
Forty-five of the victims were drivers, 12 were passengers, seven were pedestrians and one was a cyclist.
The number of deaths on Balearic roads between 1994 and 2004 was 1'419. The worst year was 1999, when 155 people lost their lives in traffic accidents.