A total of 12 people died in traffic accidents in Nicaragua during the New Year’s Eve and New Year festivities, the National Police reported on Monday.
Between December 31 and January 1, 200 vehicle collisions were recorded, which left 12 people dead and 10 injured, said the deputy head of the Public Relations Directorate of the National Police, César Cuadra, in an appearance with official means and related to the Government of Managua.
Of the 12 deceased, 5 were motorcyclists -including three from the same family-, 4 pedestrians, 2 passengers and a cyclist, he specified.
The main causes of traffic accidents with victims during the New Year’s Eve festivities in Nicaragua were drunk driving (6 deaths), speeding (3) and lane invasion (3), according to the authorities.
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Likewise, it indicated that the departments (provinces) with fatalities in road accidents were Managua (4), Estelí (2), León (1), Jinotega (1), Chinandega (1), Matagalpa (1), Rivas (1) and Masaya (1), all in the Pacific and northern Nicaragua.
The police chief stressed that in tourist destinations and spas there were no deaths in traffic accidents during the end of the year and beginning of 2023 celebrations.
As of December 25, 2022, a total of 939 people had died on the roads of Nicaragua, including 76 in December, according to authorities.
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With at least 939 deaths – not including those in the last week of 2022 – traffic accidents are among the top 10 causes of death in the Central American country, leading, in that order, acute myocardial infarction, diabetes, tumors malignant, hypertensive diseases and pneumonia, according to the national map of health in Nicaragua.
In 2021, a total of 639 people died on the roads of Nicaragua, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
