According to the report of the National Road Safety Observatory, during January 2022, 571 fatalities were recordedof which 314 correspond to motorcyclists, 123 to pedestrians, 71 to vehicle users and 22 deceased cyclists nationwide.
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This figure for the first month of the year exceeds the figures of the last four years.
In 2019, 258 people died on the roads of Colombia, in 2020 the figure reached 392, in 2021 the fatalities exceeded 339 and in 2022 there have been 571 deaths.
Thus, so far this year of the total number of victims68% were registered in urban areas of the country and 31% in rural areas; and pedestrians and motorcyclists are the ones who presented the highest concentration in urban areas with 77% and 70% respectively.
In addition, motorcyclists, between 20 and 30 years old, they are the most affected compared to the other road actors, as well as adults over 70 years of age who died from being run over.
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These road accidents that end in fatality occur especially on Sundays, between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. According to the National Road Safety Agency (Ansv), as a possible hypothesis of probable cause, factors such as speed and / or alcohol consumption.
Breaking down the accidents, 42 motorcyclists lost their lives for speeding. Additionally, 55% of injured motorcyclists have done so more than once.
Doing an annual analysis, in the year 2021, on the contrary, according to Legal Medicine figures, a downward behavior in road accidents was evidenced, where 7,307 were injured, mostly men between 20 and 24 years old (6,033) , a lower figure than that of the year 2020 where the confinements were presented.
And although in the year of the pandemic it was expected that the fatality figures would decrease, they grew to 392 (as of January), and 14,529 people were injured, with more than 9,323 men and 5,130 women, mostly older between 29 and 34 years. old.
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In 2019, on the contrary, these figures are much better than those of years of pandemic, even half of the fatal accidents were registered than in the year 2022, that is, four years ago there were 258 (as of January) deaths and 36,826 were injured. of seriousness in road accidents (14,191 women and 22,641 men).
CASES BY DEPARTMENT
In the last four years Antioquia and Valle del Cauca They are the places where the most fatal accidents have occurred, even with respect to the capital, Bogotá.
In 2019, Antioquia ranked first with 971 people killed on the road, followed by Bogotá with 522. In 2020, Valle del Cauca was the first with 760 deaths due to accidents, followed by Antioquia with 713 and Bogota with 406.
In this way, Ansv spokespersons, make a call, especially to motorcyclists to comply with all safety regulations to avoid both injuries and fatalities on the road.
“It is important that citizens who acquire motorcycles for the first time, or who change vehicles, look for alternatives that offer optimal safety conditions such as braking systems. Likewise, before acquiring a motorcycle, take the course, obtain the official documentation and license and always carry protection elements such as a helmet and reflective elements,” the entity said in a statement.
Currently in the country there are 7,461 drivers identified with more than 10 road accidents between 2007 and 2021. In this way, the Ansv calls for strengthening the processes of citizen culture and co-responsibility on the roads.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
BRIEFCASE
