Some 301,000 motorcycle accidents happened in last 10 years in Turkey

ISTANBUL

Some 301,000 motorcycle accidents happened in the last 10 years in Turkey, according to daily Habertürk. 

There are some 3 million registered motorcycles in the country and the number of people killed in the first half of 2017 reached 100, it reported on July 3.

While the number of motorcycle incidents involving death and injuries in the first six months of this year was 10,882, nearly 3,500 accidents took place monthly on average. 

According to police data, the number of motorcycle accidents decreased to 43,230 in 2016 from 46,310 in 2015. 

Motorcycle accidents came onto Turkey’s agenda recently with the deaths of Prof. Can Solakoğlu and CEO Atıf Cem Altan. 

Rahmi Barutçu, a motorcycle trainer who taught Solakoğlu how to ride, said a majority of the accidents took place due to other drivers’ faults.

“Solakoğlu was a very disciplined driver. I don’t think the accident stemmed from a mistake he made. The majority of accidents take place due to other vehicles squeezing or hitting motorcycles,” Barutçu told Habertürk.

He also noted that motorcycle training should be obtained every six months and for a lifetime. 

“What we wish for is zero accidents, but they are not zero in any country. Statistics are also very high in countries like Germany and Britain, where the issue is being taken very seriously. Part of the issue is training motorcycle drivers, but it’s also significant to train the drivers of the vehicle groups that pose a threat to us,” Barutçu said. 

As part of the measures aimed at decreasing the number of accidents involving motorcycles, control procedures have been carried out in all 81 provinces upon the orders of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, in a first ever in Turkey.

In addition to the police, gendarmerie officers participated in the controls on July 1. 

Some 27,687 personnel took part in the checks that were conducted in 4,381 points. 

Motorcycles were stopped in the established points and the vehicles’ license plates, insurances, permits and chassis numbers were checked. Many motorcycles were taken out of traffic after it was determined that they were stolen or lacked necessary files. 

In addition, the drivers not wearing helmets were fined.


NOTE: An earlier version of this report wrongly said that some 301,000 people died in motorcycle accidents in the last 10 years in Turkey. Hürriyet Daily News regrets the error and apologizes to its readers.