An average 23 traffic accidents happened each day in the Algarve during the first eight months of this year, according to details released by the national authority for road safety (Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária).
A total of 5,700 accidents, in which 13 people died and 100 were seriously injured, were recorded between January 1 and August 31.
The statistics, however, reveal a decrease of 124 compared to the same period in 2012 and 544 less than in 2011.
This year has also seen fewer fatalities numbering 13 compared to 32 during the same period last year, and 31 the previous year.
Paradoxically, the majority occurred outside the peak summer months, when the Algarve experiences a dramatic rise in the number of vehicles because of tourism, and since the beginning of June just two fatalities have been recorded.
The number of serious injuries since January 1 shows a slight drop from 116 in 2012 to 100 in 2013.
