Over 140 people die in road accidents across Turkey during long holiday

ISTANBUL

A total of 147 people have lost their lives and 702 others were injured in road accidents across Turkey during the long Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice,” Demirören News Agency reported.

Hundreds of thousands of people, who merged the weekend with the feast, hit the roads on Aug. 17, with cars forming kilometers of long lines and heavy traffic congestion on the roads.

According to the news service, 192 accidents occurred between the end of the work day on Aug. 17 and the evening of Aug. 26, claiming the lives of 147 people. On Aug. 26 alone, 20 people died in 28 road accidents in 19 provinces.

During the 10-day long Feast of Sacrifice holiday last year, a total of 122 people were killed in traffic accidents. Some 165 car accidents involving death occurred during the holiday and at least 450 people were injured.

Tighter measures on the roads

“Despite the fact that more vehicles were on the roads and the sharp rise in the number of people traveling, there has not been a significant increase in accidents, thanks to the measures taken,” Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Ersoy said on Aug. 26.

Ahead of the long holiday, the Interior Ministry launched a campaign dubbed the “Red Whistle” in 81 provinces to raise awareness regarding traffic rules and safety, particularly targeting children traveling with their parents.

As part of the campaign, police informed people they stopped at check points about traffic safety and distributed red whistles and t-shirts to children.

“Most of accidents occur due to driver error. We have managed to keep traffic accidents unchanged compared to previous years because of the measures we take and efforts by our committed teams from police and gendarmerie forces. This has been a success,” Ersoy added.