In 2013 gone by, accidents claimed 186 lives

Photo: Irina Mägi

The number of people perished in fire, water, and traffic was the smallest in decades; even so, accidents claimed 186 lives. The largest improvement – seven deaths less, over a year – came in the area of fires: first time for Estonia, the figure remained under 50. According to Rescue Board preventive department head Indrek Ints, last year brought less fires in buildings than before.

The most common reason for tragic fires is smoking in a room, often after alcohol has been consumed. According to Mr Ints, the main risk group is middle aged and elderly men. Also: according to last year’s 11 months data, almost three quarters of those who perished in fires had no smoke detectors in their homes.

According to Rescue Board data, the only figure that went up was amount of drownings: while in 2012 Estonia lost 48 people by drowning, this year they were 56. Meanwhile, the numbers of young men drowning while drunk was considerably smaller – leading Mr Ints to conclude that informative work carried out since 2010 has been fruitful. 

Over a year, numbers of deaths in traffic accidents are somewhat smaller: with 87 deaths and 1,723 injured the last year but one, 2013 had 83 deaths and 1,664 people injured in traffic.

As pointed out by Riho Tänak, superintendent of law and order department at Police and Border Guard Board, 1^st quarter of 2013 only had seven deadly accidents and, for the first time in decades, no one list their life in traffic during March. In June, November and December, however, traffic deaths were much more numerous: 13, 12, and 13 respectively.

«Mainly, drivers and passengers perished on rural roads; pedestrians – in settlements. Yet, in settlements, vehicle speed ought to such as to allow drivers to safely stop when people step onto the road,» said Mr Tänak, adding that when it comes to pedestrians’ safety, seemingly small speed differences play a huge role. 

Also, underlined Mr Tänak, it is very important for pedestrians to make themselves visible in traffic and to be careful when crossing streets. «Regrettably, as people know that drivers are supposed to let them pass at crosswalks, this leads to lowered attention. Actually, pedestrians are obligated, before stepping on the road, to make sure drivers have noticed them and will be able to safely stop before the crosswalk,» explained Mr Tänak. According to Road Administration traffic expert Villu Vane, the decrease in serious traffic accidents and deaths/injuries therein was marginal, traffic safety not having improved, basically, over the year.