The number of traffic accidents increased last year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced Wednesday. More than 1.1 million accidents took place across Turkey in 2021, higher than 2019 and 2020 figures but lower than 2018. Nevertheless, only 187,963 accidents resulted in deaths or injuries.

Figures are concerning for the country battling the "traffic monster" but not surprising as more vehicles were back on the road with restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic were eased in 2021.

A total of 5,362 people were killed in the accidents while another 274,615 people were injured. Almost half of the casualties were victims dying immediately at the accident spot. Statistics show a majority of accidents occurred in residential areas. According to TurkStat, the number of traffic casualties rose by 10.2% compared to 2020. Though the direct correlation might not be clear, the number of motor vehicles also rose by 4.6%, the figures show.

In 2020, a time of tightest restrictions, including curfews amid a fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, the number of traffic accidents dropped to the lowest level in 10 years and below 1 million yearly for the first time in the same period.

Roughly an average of seven accidents per every 1,000 vehicles took place in 2021. Accidents per 1,000 vehicles were highest in the eastern province of Bingöl and lowest in Istanbul, the country’s most populated city. In Bingöl, the rate of accidents per 1,000 vehicles was about 33.

A 47.6% of people killed in accidents were drivers while another 30.3% were passengers and the rest were pedestrians. The majority of victims were men.

As for the causes of accidents, 87.1% of the accidents stemmed from drivers’ faults while another 8.2% were the result of pedestrian faults.

The majority of traffic accidents in 2021 happened during the daytime while 28.4% occurred at night. Half of the accidents involved two vehicles.

July was high time for accidents with deaths or injuries. More than 11% of the accidents occurred in July while the least number of accidents was in February. Most fatal accidents took place on Monday and the least number of accidents was on Sunday.

Compliance with traffic safety rules is still low in the country despite repeated traffic safety campaigns. Reckless driving, almost invariably, is the top cause of the accidents every year, ahead of other factors like drunk driving.

The government prioritizes awareness in its campaign against what it calls the "traffic monster" as educating drivers is key to addressing reckless driving. It boosted the presence of law enforcement on the roads which were modernized in the past two decades to further curb the high number of accidents.

Last year, the government has announced a new action plan and strategy for road safety. The new action plan and strategy paper focus on dozens of guidelines to minimize the casualties and improve safety by "prevention of motorists to err."

So-called dark or hot spots where the majority of accidents happen will be examined again for further measures to prevent accidents, from improving the road’s condition if needed to the deployment of more traffic inspectors. Pedestrians, cyclists, the disabled and motorcycle drivers will be prioritized in the safety plan. The country was one of the signatories of the United Nations’ global road safety improvement plan in 2010. The next year, it implemented a strategy for road safety.

More than 3,500 people die every day on the roads according to the World Health Organization (WHO) which declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, with the target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. WHO says nearly 1.3 million deaths are preventable in traffic accidents yearly, describing accidents as a major cause of death globally.