Approximately 450 people died in traffic accidents in 2020, 25% less than one year ago, vezess.hu writes, in reference to data from the National Police Headquarters’ (ORFK). It was back in 1956, the year of Hungary’s anti-Soviet revolution, when this number was recorded.
In recent years, police have been trying to push this number below 600; however, only once has this been the case in the 21st century.
The number of fatal accidents in 2020 was 20% less than in 2019, and the total number of accidents leading to personal injury (13,745) is also down by 17% in comparison to the previous year. The number of people injured is also down by 4,000 in comparison to 2019.
The number of road traffic deaths 2001-2019. Graph via MTI
The decrease in the number of traffic accidents resulted in approximately HUF 113 billion (EUR 315 million) in damage costs.
The number of accidents due to drunk driving also decreased by 5% compared to 2019. Police say speeding, and turning and merging violations were the direct cause of three quarters of the accidents.
What is more, drivers’ legal compliance also increased: fewer traffic rules have been broken and fewer serious traffic offenses have been committed.
According to the police, the fewer number of accidents are not exclusively due to the pandemic’s effects as fuel consumption and traffic data show that road traffic in 2020 only decreased by 5-6%.
featured image: police inspection at one of 2020’s fatal accidents; via Ferenc Donka/MTI
