Raplamaa records more than 40 percent rise in traffic crashes

Traffic accidents have increased in nearly every Estonian county, with Raplamaa recording the sharpest rise, ERR reported. The county saw 324 crashes in the first half of this year, compared with 228 during the same period last year, an increase of more than 40 percent.

Unlike elsewhere, where many incidents involve minor damage in car parks, drivers in Raplamaa are more often hitting posts, road barriers and fences, according to Tuuli Pärenson, chair of the Traffic Insurance Fund.

The fund could not identify a specific reason for the increase. Raplamaa is currently undergoing extensive roadworks connected with Rail Baltica construction.

“Any major road construction project, diversion or change in traffic management temporarily increases the number of accidents because drivers misjudge the situation,” Pärenson said.

Despite the rise in crashes, the number of people injured in them has fallen. Thirty-six people were injured in Raplamaa accidents last year, compared with 23 this year.

Police said in a written response that the extensive construction works have made traffic conditions more difficult in some parts of the county and require greater attention from drivers. However, lower speeds in these locations mean that the consequences of accidents are less severe.

Excluding Raplamaa, 40 percent of accidents occur in car parks, 17 percent involve rear-end collisions and 13 percent are collisions between cars at intersections.

Driving instructor Aldis Alus said the most common cause of accidents was failure to follow a basic traffic rule. In car parks, the right-hand rule applies unless a give-way sign is present, he said, but many drivers assume they are on a through road and have priority.

Alus added that many drivers rely on memory instead of watching traffic signs, even when traffic arrangements have been changed nearly a year earlier.