The year 2023 witnessed a concerning toll of traffic accidents across Türkiye, with 2,984 fatalities and 354,234 injuries reported at the accident sites, according to data released by the Traffic Directorate of the General Directorate of Security.
The statistics highlighted that Istanbul led in accidents causing injuries, with Ankara ranking second, registering a significant number of fatalities. Moreover, approximately 1,216,860 vehicles faced traffic bans.
In terms of the distribution of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or injuries across provinces, Istanbul stood at the forefront with 25,614 reported accidents, followed by Ankara with 15,344 incidents, Izmir with 13,468 and Antalya with 12,041 accidents. In contrast, Ardahan recorded the fewest accidents at 175.
Anadolu Agency (AA) compiled information from the General Directorate of Security Traffic Directorate, revealing that a total of 555,668 traffic accidents occurred throughout the country in the past year, encompassing incidents involving fatalities, injuries and property damage.
The breakdown of the types of traffic accidents across Türkiye demonstrated that 77,992 accidents involved side collisions, 37,521 were pedestrian collisions, 28,106 were rollovers/skids/rollovers, 26,062 incidents occurred off the road, 25,918 were general accidents, 13,403 resulted from mutual collisions and 10,828 stemmed from collisions with obstacles or objects.
Furthermore, the report indicated that out of the total traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or injuries, 99,200 were single-vehicle accidents, 121,724 were two-vehicle accidents and 14,068 were multi-vehicle accidents.
The leading causes of traffic accidents primarily stemmed from driver errors. Reports noted a total of 249,776 instances of driver mistakes recorded in both fatal and injury-related incidents. Additionally, the accidents involved 25,340 pedestrians, 3,148 vehicles, 1,754 passengers and 940 road defects.
Among the breakdown of driver faults in accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries, the top cause, numbering 92,523 instances, was the failure to adjust vehicle speed according to road, weather and traffic conditions. Following this, there were 37,845 cases of neglecting priority at intersections and narrow passages, 22,807 incidents of lane monitoring and changing violations, 22,082 rear-end collisions and 19,678 instances of not adhering to direction change rules. Furthermore, there were 9,836 cases of failing to comply with general maneuvering regulations.
The data also detailed the types of vehicles involved in these accidents: 188,445 automobiles, 74,092 motorcycles, 54,421 pickup trucks, 18,433 motorbikes, 9,212 minibuses, 9,021 bicycles, 8,811 tractors, 7,396 trucks, 6,693 buses, 2,992 tractors, 928 special-purpose vehicles, 425 work machines, 295 ambulances, 163 tankers, 132 off-road vehicles, 97 trams, 53 trains and 53 horse carriages.
Regarding accidents categorized by province, Istanbul witnessed 25,614 fatal and injury-related incidents, followed by Ankara with 15,344, Izmir with 13,468 and Antalya with 12,041.
However, despite Istanbul recording the most accidents, Ankara experienced the highest loss of life. In the capital city, 167 fatalities and 21,949 injuries were reported. Istanbul followed closely with 157 deaths and 32,631 injuries, while Antalya reported 142 deaths and 16,731 injuries, and Izmir registered 125 deaths and 17,545 injuries.
In contrast, Ardahan was identified as the province with the lowest number of fatal and injury-related accidents in 2023. With 175 accidents recorded last year, the province reported three fatalities and 309 injuries.
In the previous year, the traffic police teams compiled a total of 21,234,596 penalty reports, with the bulk comprising fines imposed on vehicle license plates, totaling 18,221,709. Further breakdowns included 2,989,300 fines directed at drivers, 20,280 to passengers and 3,307 to pedestrians.
Among the violations identified during inspections, actions were taken against 197,768 drivers found driving under the influence of alcohol. Additionally, 3,487 drivers were flagged for accumulating 100 penalty points, and 307 drivers were noted for exceeding the speed limit on five separate occasions. Moreover, a significant number of vehicles, amounting to 1,216,860, were banned from traffic.
