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Join on Telegram Rabat – According to the DGSN, road accidents in Moroccan cities have killed 22, and injured 2,490 others in the week of March 17-23, with 109 of them sustaining serious injuries.
During this period, authorities recorded 1,815 accidents, with most caused by driver negligence, failure to yield, following too closely, speeding, and pedestrians not paying attention. Other factors included ignoring traffic signals and making illegal maneuvers.
In response, officials documented 42,492 traffic violations. They issued 7,990 official reports, which were sent to the public prosecutor, and collected 34,502 fines, amounting to MAD 7,368,375 ($736,838).
Additionally, authorities impounded 5,167 vehicles and confiscated 7,990 documents, such as driver’s licenses and registration papers. A total of 780 vehicles were also taken out of service due to various violations.
Earlier in January, the DGSN recorded 21 deaths and 2,710 injuries, 100 of which were serious in the week of January 13-19.
While the DGSN gave “drivers’ inattention” as the main explanation for the large amount of accidents on both weeks, it is expected that this may have worsened during the month of Ramadan where Moroccans operate vehicles without the use of caffeinated beverages and on less sleep.
The sharpest decline in road accidents in Morocco was predicatebly during the 2020 Covid lockdown, where only five people died in 218 accidents in Morocco’s urban areas between in the week of March 23-29.
With Eid coming up at the start of next week, it is more necessary than ever for drivers to exercise increased vigilance as the roads will be packed with Moroccans rushing home to spend the holidays with their families.
