There have been more accidents on the EN 125 since Via do Infante began to be taxed, but these resulted in fewer casualties. Even so, there was a substantial increase in the number of injuries, particularly minors.
GNR data reveal that, of the 672 accidents that occurred between January 1 and August 31 on this national road, six were killed, five fewer than in 2011, the year in which there were eleven deaths in accidents that occurred on this road.
In 2011, the month of January was particularly dark, with five deaths to be regretted, a situation unparalleled in the other fifteen months of both years shown in the data provided, where it can be seen that in just another two months there were accidents with more than one fatal victim, namely February 2011 and May 2012, in which two people died as a result of road accidents on the EN125.
In the 130 accidents that were recorded in the first eight months of 2012 (in 2011 there were 542 accidents) there was a substantial increase in injuries. While in 2011 there were 14 serious injuries and 190 minor injuries, in 2012 the numbers rose to 19 serious injuries and 249 minor injuries, respectively five and 59 more than in the previous year.
These data partly confirm the fears expressed by defenders of the suspension of tolls on Via do Infante, who predicted an increase in accidents on the EN125, but did not confirm the darker scenario that the number of deaths on this road would also increase.
The introduction of tolls on the A22 led to a reduction in traffic on this motorway to almost half in December last year, the first month in which Via do Infante was taxed, according to official data. On the other hand, there was an increase in users of the main alternative route, the EN125.
The data provided by GNR, and to which the Sul Informação had access, refer only to the sections of the EN125 under its jurisdiction, which, despite being almost the entire length of this national road, with about 160 kilometers, leaves out some sections, such as the access area to Via do Infante between Faro and Loulé and three other zones, all of which are less than five kilometers long.
The photos are from Carlos Filipe de Souza
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