Muscat: There was a 16.5 per cent drop in the accident rate across the Sultanate until the end of July 2017, compared with the same period in 2016. The number of accidents declined to 2,349, from 2,814 during the same period last year, according to figures released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Compared with June this year, when the total number of accidents was 385, in July, 360 accidents were reported.
June and July Accidents in Oman
The total number of deaths resulting from accidents until July 2017 declined 5.8 per cent to 374, against 397 during the comparable period last year. 244 Omanis were reported dead, of whom 193 were males and 51 females, against 246 last year. The number of expatriates, who died in these accidents was 130, against 151 last year (a decline of 13.9 per cent), of whom 112 were male and 18 female, data showed. There was a 2 per cent increase in the number of injured to 1,922 until July 2017, down from 1,885 during the comparable period in 2016. Among the injured, there were 1,407 Omanis as against 1,418 last year. Among expatriates, the number of injured this year was 515, and it was 467 during the same period last year, NCSI figures showed. Of the total number of accidents, 54 per cent happened during the daytime. Among the governorates, Muscat topped the highest rate of traffic accidents at 30.8 per cent until July this year, followed by South Al Batinah at 13.9 per cent, Dhofar at 11.7 per cent and North Al Batinah at 8.6 per cent. The rate of accidents in the rest of the governorates was pegged at 35 per cent, data revealed.
Rate of Accidents per Region
There was a 23.4 per cent decline in the number of vehicles registered in the Sultanate until the end of July 2017. The total number of vehicles registered during the period stood at 47,417, compared with 61,904 during the same period last year, according to NCSI statistics. The number of private vehicles registered was 35,788, compared with 46,58 last year, reflecting a decline of 22.3 per cent. The number of commercial vehicles registered also declined 35.1 per cent to 8,158 from 12,565 last year, while the number of rental vehicles registered increased by 18.7 per cent to 2,659, compared with 2,240 during the same period last year.
Registered taxis also declined by 30.1 per cent to 285,408 and the number of motorbikes registered declined by 10.4 per cent to 380,424 in 2016. Only 39 diplomatic vehicles were registered this year, compared with 49 during the same period last year, showing a decline of 20.4 per cent. The number of tractors registered also slipped 64.5 per cent to 11 by the end of July, from 31 during the comparable period last year. The number of driving school vehicles registered fell 24.8 per cent to 97, from 129 vehicles last year, the NCSI data revealed. There were 1,413,956 vehicles on the Sultanate’s roads as of the end of July 2017, NCSI’s data revealed.
