The death rate and the number of serious injuries resulting from car accidents in Riyadh have declined, according to a report from the Riyadh Development Commission on the first five-year traffic strategy which concluded last year. The death rate, according to the report, fell from 4.3 cases per 10,000 cars in 2003 to 1.7 cases in 2008, and the rate of serious injury fell from 13.9 per 10,000 cars to 5.2 in the same period. The report stated that the most common causes of accidents resulting in death were vehicles taking a sudden change of direction, drivers not concentrating on driving, and exceeding the speed limit. The number of road accident deaths recorded in Riyadh in 2003 was 479, with 1,546 serious injuries. The year 2008 saw 315 deaths and 959 serious injuries, a lower figure despite an increase in the number of vehicles in the capital from 1,110,000 in 2003 to 1,845,000 in 2008. The second five-year plan for Riyadh's traffic strategy starts this year.
