Motor vehicles
01. May 2023
Far fewer traffic accidents despite big increase in vehicles
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From 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2023, the number of registered motor vehicles surged from just under 19,000 to more than 42,000 – an increase of more than 23,000, of which almost 14,000 were passenger cars. The increase in cars has been proportionally greater than the population growth, with 3.2 people in the 18+ driving-age population per car in 2000 and two per car in 2023.
Traffic accidents down by two-thirds
The start of this century saw an annual average of 1,200-1,300 traffic accidents. This figure has since been on a relatively steady decrease, reaching 461 in 2023. The lowest annual figure of 410 was registered in 2010, according to figures from the police.
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Traffic injuries
The number of accidents with personal injury has gone down significantly. In the mid-00s, the annual number of accidents with personal injury was between 60 and 70 up until 2008. The figure then dropped significantly and has since remained steady between 20 and 30.
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Two traffic fatalities were registered in 2022, one in 2021 and none in 2020. A total of four traffic fatalities were registered in the 2018-2022 period, compared to 16 in the previous 5-year period.
Drink driving
There has also been a significant decrease in drink driving charges, dropping from almost 200 in 2007 to 70 in 2017. This figure has, however, gone up again in the past 5-6 years, reaching 161 in 2022.
It should be noted that in 2009, the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was lowered from 0.5 to 0.2.
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