Turkey is quickly approaching last year's death toll from traffic accidents as the latest figures reveal that 3,234 people have died in accidents in the first 10 months of 2015.

The number of fatalities due to car accidents this year is approximately 600 less than last year's total for Turkey, a country notorious for poor driving and frequent traffic safety violations.

Figures supplied by police show 2,622 fatal accidents occurred between January and October 2015. More than 258,000 people were also injured in 149,820 accidents.

The majority of accidents were caused by speeding. Running a red light was the second leading cause for accidents. Driving under the influence resulted in 3,235 accidents according to the figures.

Istanbul, the country's most populous city with more than 17 million citizens, topped the list of places with the most accidents. It was followed by other big cities including Ankara and İzmir.

Figures show poor weather conditions often factored into accidents. Fatal accidents are more frequent after March when there is heavy rainfall and roads become slippery.

Traffic accidents are still very common in Turkey despite the enactment of new safety measures and launch of awareness campaigns against reckless driving.