German road traffic deaths at record low in 2009

The number of people killed in road accidents in Germany this year fell to its lowest level since records began in 1950th

BERLIN, December 29, 2009 (AFP) - The number of people killed in road accidents in Germany this year fell to its lowest level since records began in 1950, the German Automobile Association (ADAC) said Tuesday.

It estimated 4.080 people died on German roads in 2009, down by nine percent from the previous year.

ADAC data also showed that around 400.000 people suffered injuries in road accidents this year, a drop of three percent from 2008th

The deadliest year was 1970 - a time when data was only available for West Germany - with 19.193 people losing their lives, an ADAC spokesman said.

In 1970, there were nine million cars on German roads, compared to 40 million today.