From the beginning of the year to February 15th, there have been 1,005 accidents on the Algarve's roads with seven deaths, according to data from the National Highway Safety Authority.
The number of crashes increased on the same period in previous years with 894 accidents in 2015 and 929 last year.
More serious is the increase in the number of deaths resulting from these accidents. In this month and a half so far in 2017, there have been seven fatal accidents representing a increase of six deaths over last year.
The Algarve suffered the fourth highest number of road accident deaths in the country, behind Santarém, with 11 victims, followed by Oporto and Setúbal, both with eight.
The figures only credit deaths that happen at the accident scene or when carrying victims to hospital, meaning that the actual number of deaths resulting from crashes in the Algarve and elsewhere, is higher.
There were five fewer seriously injured in the period, down to 13 this year compared to last, but this is two more than in 2015.
