Last year saw a drop in the number of deaths on Slovak roads, with the country thereby meeting its commitment towards the European Union made in 2002 to lower the figure by half (to below 305) by 2010, Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák announced at a press conference on Thursday, January 3. Kaliňák specified that 296 people died in 2012 in Slovakia as a consequence of road accidents, which means 28 less than in 2011.
"Road safety in Slovakia is within the standards required from us by the European Union in 2002," said Kaliňák. Meanwhile, road accidents in Slovakia during the 20 years since Slovakia became independent have claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people. The most significant drop in the figures was recorded between 2008 and 2009, when the number of road deaths fell by 211 year-on-year. As many as 667 road deaths were recorded in 1993, for example. The Sme daily wrote that the number of death in road accidents in 2012 is the lowest since the launch of the statistics in 1966.
(Source: TASR, Sme)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
