Road traffic accidents involving personal injury, December 2002

The number of accidents involving lorries increased more than the total number of road traffic accidents. While the total number of accidents on Norwegian roads increased by six per cent from 2001 to 2002, the number of accidents involving lorries increased by 10 per cent. As a result, the share of accidents involving lorries increased from 3.1 per cent of all traffic accidents in 2001 to 3.2 per cent in 2002, which is about the same level as the annual average for the five-year period from 1998 to 2002.

More people killed and injured

31 people were killed and 387 were injured in accidents involving lorries in 2002, while the corresponding figures for 2001 were 29 people killed and 332 injured. The annual averages for the five-year period 1998-2002 were 37 people killed and 373 injured, which is close to 12 per cent of the total number people killed and three per cent of the total number of people injured on Norwegian roads each year.

Of the 31 people who were killed in accidents involving lorries in 2002, 26 were drivers of automobiles, four were passengers of automobiles and one was a pedestrian. 54 of the 387 people who were injured in accidents involving lorries were dangerously or seriously injured, while 309 people were slightly injured. For the remaining 24 people, the degree of injury was not stated.

Large proportion of head-on accidents

A total of 89 of the 282 lorry accidents last year were head-on accidents with other vehicles, which is a share of 32 per cent of all the accidents involving lorries. Looking at the total number of road traffic accidents in 2002, head-on accidents accounted for only 15 per cent of the accidents. 20 people were killed and 152 were injured in head-on accidents with lorries on Norwegian roads in 2002.

Decrease in number of lorries running off the road

There were 57 so-called single accidents involving lorries in 2002, i.e. accidents were other vehicles were not involved. 51 of these accidents were due to single vehicles running off the road, which is a slight decrease compared with the annual average for the last five years. Three people were killed and 54 were injured in accidents involving single lorries driving off the road in 2002.

Accidents peaked in January

There were 38 accidents involving lorries in January, the highest number of accidents in any single month of 2002. The number of persons killed in such accidents peaked in both January and May, when five people were killed in accidents involving lorries.

The statistics are compiled from returns made by police authorities. Less severe accidents and injuries are therefore under-represented in the figures.

Tables:

• Table 1 Accidents involving lorries. Persons killed or injured, by degree of injury. 1992-2002
• Table 2 Accidents involving lorries. Number of traffic units involved and persons killed or injured. 2000-2002
• Table 3 Accidents involving lorries. Persons killed or injured, by county. 2000-2002
• Table 4 Accidents involving lorries. Persons killed or injured, by month. 2000-2002
• Table 5 Accidents involving lorries. Number of people killed or injured, by mode of transport and type og accident. 2002