The number of accidents on the region’s roads has risen sharply when compared to Jan-August 2015.
According to data released from the National Road Safety Authority, to the 15th of August this year there have been 6,419 accidents on the Algarve's roads, 543 up on the 2015 figure for the same period.
The figures are even more worrying when compared with two years ago, when there were 5,189 accidents in the equivalent period.
This inexorable rise thankfully has not been matched by the number of road deaths recorded at the scene.
The Algarve now has the 4th highest number of accidents after Lisbon (16,587), Oporto (14,823) and Braga (6716).
The road accident death toll rose from 28 in 2015 to 14 this year, which implies a reduction of 50% but the total number of fatalities resulting from road accidents will be greater as the National Road Safety Authority only counts those who died at the scene or on the way to hospital.
The number of seriously injured decreased this year too, albeit slightly from 101 last year to 93 this year.
The rise in the number of road accidents is blamed by the anti-toll group CUVI on the increase in traffic volume on the EN125 which in turn is caused by the imposition of tolls on the A22 Via do Infante motorway.
Comments
It is downright wrong, and exceedingly misleading in the majority of cases.
Please consider the victims when you label their injury or even death an "accident".
And kudos to Valery for pointing out that CUVI's tolls argument is entirely baseless.