Losses incurred due to car accidents accounted for nine percent of Morocco’s GDP last year, reaching some $3.5 billion, according to London based Al-Hayat daily. In these accidents 3,627 people had been killed, an average of ten fatalities per day. 13,641 others were seriously injured or became permanently disabled, and 60,624 were slightly injured.
Nearly 90 accidents have been attributed to human err, including overriding traffic laws and driving under the influence. Another reason cited for the high rate of accidents has been high road density. These roads can barely accommodate the 2.5 millions cars currently in the Kingdom.
The problem is especially acute during the summer season, on the Rabat-Tangier-Tetwan highway on which a significant number of tourists travel. These visitors added an estimated half million additional cars to the already congested roads. — (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
