Rail accidents up by 75 percent in 2013, despite service suspension

There were 781 train accidents in Egypt in 2013, an increase of 74.7 percent from the 447 recorded in 2012, according to a report issued this week by state statistics agency CAPMAS. 

The increase in accidents happened despite the suspension of passenger train services following the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya and Nahda Square sit-ins in August. Service was completely halted from August 14 until September 28, with many lines not coming back into operation until late November.

The “poor state” of railroad crossings was the greatest factor in accidents, the report says. More than 55 percent of train accidents recorded by CAPMAS in 2013 occurred at railroad crossings.

The report does not list the number of fatalities in train crashes, but 2013 witnessed several collisions with high death tolls. In January, at least 19 people were killed when a train transporting Central Security Forces conscripts derailed in the Giza suburb of Badrashin. In November, more than 30 members of a wedding party were killed in a collision between their minibus and a train at a crossing near the village of Dahshur.

Road accidents increased by a comparatively modest 0.4 percent in 2013, rising to 15,578 compared to 15,516 in 2012. Fatalities, however, rose by 4.5 percent, reaching 18.4 deaths per day, compared to 17.6 per day in 2012.

Half of those who died in car accidents were young, aged 15 to 25.

The highest rate of accidents was in South Sinai, with 20.2 accidents per 1,000 vehicles. Cairo had the lowest rate, with 0.4 accidents per 1,000 vehicles. According to CAPMAS, 65.2 percent of accidents were due to human error, while 18.3 percent were caused by mechanical failure.

According to the World Health Organization, Egypt lacks a number of key road-safety provisions. It does not have a point system to penalize drivers for repeated traffic offenses, nor does it require front and rear seatbelts in new or imported vehicles or have child restraint laws.