Road Accidents On The Rise

ROAD ACCIDENTS ON THE RISE

ARMENPRESS
May 17 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS: Armenian road police have reported a
substantial growth of road accidents in the first quarter of the year
as opposed to the same time span of 2006. Police said the number of
people who died and got injuries in road accidents also rose.

Overall 329 road accidents were reported in January-March, up
from 212 from a year ago. Armenian territorial ministry’s rescue
department said road accidents in the first quarter killed 48 people
and injured 475. In the first quarter of 2006 these figures were 38
and 299 respectively.

Last year a total of 1,574 road accidents were reported across the
country, killing 332 and injuring 2,089 people.

Meantime Armenian territorial ministry’s rescue service reported a
drastic increase in the number of household accidents which in the
first three months of the year amounted to 649, up from 246 reported
in the first quarter of 2006.

The service reported also the increased number of resulting
casualties. Thus, 35 people died in these accidents, up from 18 from
a year ago. The number of injured people shot to 816 from 291 from
a year ago.

The majority of cases-626- were carbon dioxide and food poisoning,
which killed 16 people against three of the first quarter of 2006.