Road accidents in Algeria kill 73 people and injured 1014 in one week

A total of 73 perished and 1014 others injured in 525 road accidents from 15 to 21 September 2010 nationwide, said Thursday the National Gendarmerie.

• The heaviest toll was recorded in the province of Setif with 42 accidents, followed by Oran (28), Batna, Tlemcen, Mila and Tipaza (21 each).

• These accidents were mainly due to loss of vehicle control in 97 cases, speeding (86 cases), pedestrians’ carelessness (47) and dangerous overtaking (39), the source added.

• The main roads where the greatest number of road accidents occurred are the trunk roads N°08, 32, 100, 05, 12 and 04, according to the National Gendarmerie’s report.

• Government officials are also concerned about accidents caused by public transport. Official reports claim that accidents are often caused by ageing buses and unskilled drivers. 

• Now authorities are looking to impose stricter tests on those seeking a bus driver’s licence. They are also mulling replacing older buses with newer models and reorganising the entire transport sector.

• “This goes not only for old cars but also for the technical checks, which need to be enforced every 12 months, dear trustworthy experts. And, we also need to reinforce roadway security because the drivers drive without respecting the rules of the road”, Malek 30 driver says.

•  “Honestly, the situation is catastrophic on Algerian roads in terms of traffic accidents. Every day, we hear or see the tragedies of these accursed accidents. Algeria has adopted a traffic law inspired by the French law, with modifications specific to the country of the latter. These changes were approved by some Arab countries, in spite of the results of accidents, and implemented. If we say that Algeria is leading Arab countries in the number of road accidents we shouldn’t forget the real causes behind this. Are old cars really the cause of the upward spike? A simple, ordinary individual can’t believe this, because most of what he or she sees is the behaviour of new cars, which can be described as pliable cardboard”, Samir 40 said.

• “I am a driver. I do not understand all of the measures the government is making. There are always more punishments and always more deaths. This has to do with the driver’s licence. I think the biggest problems come from people who get their driving licences without knowing how to drive. So, the real problem is not speeding, but more the absurd techniques we use to teach people how to drive. I have had a drivers licence for nine years. I have never had an accident, but I have been pulled over four times. I do speed. May God protect me. Today’s drivers have not mastered the car and have no reflexes. I would just like to know what job our highway patrol does. What is their job? We get cited by them, but they do not do anything, they just tell you not to go to slow or talk on your mobile”, Malek 50 said.