Accidents on Portugal’s roads have caused 83 deaths in the first two months of the year, one more than in the same period of 2018, said the National Highway Safety Authority.
According to the ANSR, which collects data from the road police, the number of accidents has increased this year, with 20,322 crashes, 185 more than in the same period last year.
Severe injuries also increased in the year to the end of February, with 283 people seriously injured, 36 more than in the same period of 2018.
The death rate is the highest since 2016, a hugely disappointing trend despite road works that have attempted to make the system safer, such as along the Algarve’s EN125 western section.
The Algarve was not in the top district for fatalities, as Braga (12), Porto (9), Santarém (8) and Leira and Évora (7 in each) lead the table.
The ANSR data is only for deaths declared at the scene of an accident or on the way to the hospital.