Accident numbers decline in Oman

Muscat: A significant reduction in the number of traffic accidents in Oman could be attributed to people driving more safely and more cautiously.
According to statistics from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the month of January this year witnessed a total of 382 accidents compared to 568 during the same month last year, a 32.7 per cent decrease.
A total of 179 Omanis were injured, 27.5 per cent less than the 247 who suffered similarly in January 2015.
Injured expatriates numbered 58, compared to 92 last year.
Although the number of accidents fell significantly in January 2016, the number of deaths fell by a mere 1.7 per cent. A total of 58 people died this year in January, compared to 59 in January 2015.
Forty-five Omanis died in traffic accidents in January 2016, 15.4 per cent more than the 39 nationals who perished in accidents in the same month last year. These included 38 males, compared to 30 males who died in the same period in 2015.
There was a noticeable decrease in expatriates’ deaths with only 13 dying in January 2016, compared to 20 who died in the same period the previous year.
According to the NCSI, most accidents occurred during daytime, accounting for 61.5 per cent compared to 38.5 per cent that happened during the night.
As for governorate wise data, the Muscat Governorate topped the list with 35.6 per cent accidents, followed by South Al Sharqiyah Governorate with 17.5 per cent of accidents. North Al Batinah Governorate came third with 11.5 per cent of total accidents occurring within the Sultanate. North Al Sharqiyah Governorate recorded the least number of accidents, making up for only 1.6 per cent of the total.