The 24-hour accident and road inspection report for June 2024, released by ANSR, shows that in the first half of the year, 17,900 accidents with victims, 220 fatal victims, 1,257 serious injuries and 20,795 minor injuries were recorded in Portugal.

In the document, ANSR highlights the number of disasters that occurred on the Continent alone, where 17,154 accidents were recorded, resulting in 214 deaths, 1,184 serious injuries and 19,967 minor injuries between January and June.

“Compared to the same period in 2014, the growing trend was visible in accidents, there were 3,107 more (22.1%), seven more fatalities (3.4%), 224 more serious injuries (26%) and 3,175 more injuries mild (8.9%), despite a decrease in the severity index”, explains the ANSR.

The report also indicates that, in relation to the first six months of last year, there were, between January and June, 19 fewer fatalities (-8.2%), and a decrease in the severity index, but there were 571 more accidents ( +3.4%), 56 more serious injuries (+5.0%) and 692 more minor injuries (+3.6%), despite the increase in road traffic.

The ANSR also makes a comparison with 2019, the reference year for monitoring the targets for reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries by 2030 set by the European Commission and Portugal, with a decrease in deaths and minor injuries, with minus 12 and 119 respectively. On the other hand, an increase in serious injuries and accidents was observed, with 136 more serious injuries (13.0%) and 486 more disasters (2.9%).

The document also indicates that collisions represented, in the first half of the year, the most frequent disasters, corresponding to 52.9% of accidents, 41.1% of fatalities and 45.8% of serious injuries, while crashes, which represented 33 .4% of total accidents, were responsible for 43.5% of deaths.

ANSR highlights the increase in the number of pedestrian collisions with victims in the first six months of the year, a total of 2,350, which increased by 5.8% compared to the same period in 2023. This increase reflected a 3.1% increase in victims' deaths and 24.2% in serious injuries. In total, 33 people died after being run over and 200 were seriously injured between January and June.

According to the report, in the first six months, the number of fatalities within the localities (124) was greater than that found outside the localities (90), which increased by 9.7% compared to 2023.

Until June, most accidents occurred on streets, followed by federal and state highways.

The report also states that around 72% of fatal victims were drivers, while 15.4% were pedestrians and 11.7% were passengers.

In relation to the category of vehicles involved in accidents, passenger cars accounted for 71.5% of the total, with an increase of 4% compared to the same period in 2023, as well as “significant increases” in bicycles and motorbikes.

ANSR indicates more than half of the victims were traveling in a light vehicle, while 21.4% were on motorcycles and 7.3% on bicycles.

In the first six months of the year, half of the number of fatal victims was recorded on the road network under the responsibility of Infrastructures of Portugal (37.9%), Brisa (3.7%), Ascendi (2.8%), Municipality of Caldas da Rainha (2.3%) and Concessão Oeste and Municipalities of Lisbon and Viseu (1.9%, each).

ANSR also highlights that, between January and June, there was an increase in the number of accidents in 14 of the 18 districts, with greater expression in Évora (+23.2%), Guarda (+17.5%) and Viana do Castelo (+ 16.0%), while fatalities registered increases in eight districts, with the biggest increases in Lisbon and Évora.