Rabat – The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has revealed that Morocco recorded 9 deaths due to road accidents in urban areas in the last week.
In addition, DGSN recorded 1,649 injuries, including 91 patients in serious condition. The count resulted from 1,186 road accidents recorded in Morocco’s cities between August 3 and 9.
Non-respect of priority, safe distance, speed limit, traffic lights, and pedestrian pathways, as well as turning without using a signal, loss of control, driving in the left lane, and driving under influence were the main causes of the accidents.
During the same period DGSN recorded a total of 33,549 tickets and drafted 8,618 reports to the general prosecutor’s office.
Meanwhile, security services collected 24,931 fines, making a sum of MAD 5,059,350 ($547,183).
Moroccan authorities also recorded the impoundment of 3,833 vehicles, the seizure of 4,648 documents, and the withdrawal of 137 vehicles from circulation.
In the first week following Morocco’s decision to ease the lockdown, between June 8 and 14, the country saw a surge in the number of road accidents Officials recorded 250% more accidents than the average weekly numbers during the lockdown.
However, the ease of the lockdown is not the only factor in the increase in recent road accidents.
Following traffic jams that Moroccan highways witnessed after the suspension of travel from and to eight major cities on July 26, the Ministry of Transport recorded 199 traffic accidents in only two days. They resulted in a total of 15 fatalities and 313 injuries.
On August 4, Morocco saw a deadly bus accident on a mountain road near the southern city of Agadir. It claimed the lives of 12, leaving six in critical condition.
The site of the accident is known to be one of the most dangerous roads in Morocco for its zigzagging turns.
