Police: Last year saw the lowest number of road fatalities in history, mainly thanks to restrictions

A total of 460 people died in road accidents last year, that is 87 fewer than in 2019 and the lowest death rate since 1961 when statistical measuring began. The number of heavy injuries caused by these incidents also fell to 20,880, which is 3,055 fewer people than in the previous year. Deputy Police President Martin Vondrášek said on Friday that the numbers are not indicative of the trends registered over previous years, but that the lower intensity of traffic caused by coronavirus restrictions played a significant role in decreasing accidents. This was particularly noticeable during the spring and autumn months, he said.

The most common cause of accidents was irresponsible behaviour of drivers and pedestrians, according to the head of transport police Jiří Zlý.