In total 3,975 RTAs were recorded, an increase of exactly one hundred on 2017's figure of 3,875 and far ahead of 2010's figure of 3,193 RTAs. That means that on an average day there are around 10 accidents on Latvia's highways and byways - at least, those that are officially recorded.
The last time a higher number of RTAs was recorded was 2008, with 4,196 RTAs and the highest number since the restoration of Latvian independence occurred in 2003 when 5,379 were recorded.
An RTA is defined as an accident in road traffic with at least one transport vehicle involved causing as a consequence death of a person or bodily injury or losses of the belongings of a natural or legal person or damage to the environment, as well as an accident involving a road vehicle and occurring at a place that allows vehicular traffic.
The number of deaths in RTAs also increased from 136 in 2017 to 150 in 2018, though the tally remains thankfully far below the worst year ever for road deaths when 923 people lost their lives on Latvian roads in 1993.
