Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1454280
NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 FEBRUARY 2022 Road traffic accidents, casualties up in last three months of 2021 DURING the fourth quarter of 2021, road traffic accidents and casualties increased when compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Road traf- fic fatalities amounted to five. The number of reported traffic accidents during the fourth quarter of 2021 reached 3,697, up by 16.6 per cent over the same period in 2020. The Northern Harbour district registered the most accidents with 1,347 cases or 36.4 per cent of all accidents. Road traffic casualties increased by 21.9 per cent to 379 over the same period in 2020. Grievously in- jured persons amounted to 84, and consisted of 49 drivers, 15 passengers and 20 pedestrians/cyclists/ others. The injuries suffered by three drivers and two pe- destrians proved fatal. During this quarter, four more fatalities occurred when compared to the same period in 2020. The majority of those grievously injured were males (76.2 per cent). Moreover, the five fatalities that occurred during this quarter involved four males and a female. Most of the casualties (62.8 per cent) involved persons in the 26 to 59 age-bracket. The largest number of road traffic casualties (57.5 per cent) involved passenger cars, followed by mo- torcycles (33.2 per cent) and goods-carrying vehi- cles (6.3 per cent). The five fatalities comprised of three drivers crashing into property and of two pedestrians hit by a vehicle. Cyclists involved in traffic accidents amounted to eight, of whom three suffered grievous injuries. Road traffic casualties resulting from accidents between vehicles topped the list with 65.4 per cent of all road traffic casualties. The highest number of road traffic casualties was recorded on Wednesdays with 62 casualties, while the highest number of road traffic accidents oc- curred on Fridays with 628 cases or 17.0 per cent of the total. The time bracket during which most road traf- fic accidents occurred was between 12 noon and 2.59pm, with 816 cases or 22.1 per cent of the total, followed by the 9am to noon time bracket with 793 cases. The least number of accidents occurring daily took place between 3am and 5.59am with 67 cases. The highest incidence of road traffic accidents was registered in Birkirkara with 277 cases, fol- lowed by Ħal Qormi and San Pawl Il-Baħar, with 206 and 178 cases respectively. One locality, L-Għasri in the Gozo and Comino district, registered less than three road traffic ac- cidents. SEASONALLY adjusted indus- trial turnover recorded during the fourth quarter of 2021 de- creased by 3.5 per cent over the previous quarter. When compared to the correspond- ing period of 2020, working-day adjusted industrial turnover in- creased by 0.6 per cent. Quarterly comparison During the fourth quarter of 2021, seasonally adjusted in- dustrial turnover decreased by 3.5 per cent over the previous quarter. Decreases were regis- tered in energy (8.0 per cent), capital goods (7.3 per cent) and consumer goods (1.4 per cent). On the other hand, in- termediate goods went up by 0.3 per cent. Seasonally adjusted industri- al employment increased by 0.5 per cent. During this pe- riod, industrial hours worked increased by 2.5 per cent and industrial gross wages and sal- aries rose by 5.8 per cent. Annual comparison When compared to the cor- responding quarter of 2020, working-day adjusted indus- trial turnover increased by 0.6 per cent. Increases were reg- istered in intermediate goods (7.8 per cent) and energy (4.5 per cent). On the other hand, consumer goods and capital goods went down by 5.5 per cent and 3.6 per cent respec- tively. An increase of 0.9 per cent was recorded in the year-on- year unadjusted industrial em- ployment. Working-day ad- justed industrial hours worked increased by 0.3 per cent and working-day adjusted indus- trial gross wages and salaries went up by 5.1 per cent. Seasonally adjusted industrial turnover on the decline A man was seriously injured when his car crashed and overturned in Gozo in December 2021