The number of accidents has risen by more than 1,500 in 2011 compared to 2010, while the number of deadly accidents increased by two.

Drunk drivers caused one in five accidents last year, a considerable drop compared to 2010, when almost every third accident had been caused by a drunk driver. Speeding was however still the cause of 40% of accidents with a death toll.

Head of the criminal police administration Danijel Žibert noted at a press conference on Wednesday that 28 motorcyclists died last year, which is 11 more than in 2010.

He added that the number of registered motorbikes had also been rising, as it had increased by almost 5,000 from 2009 to 44,318 in 2011.

In general, the statistics is improving tough, Žibert said. In 2007, 293 people died on Slovenian roads, which means that the number dropped by 150 in the four years. The first months of this year also point to a more positive trend, as only 17 people died in car crashes so far, while the number stood at 25 in the same period last year.

According to Žibert, Slovenia is nearing the EU average of 61 victims per one million, as currently 69 people die per one million.

Touching on the EU goals from the beginning of the millennium to halve the number of deaths in car accidents, Žibert noted that Slovenia had succeeded in this, while the new goal is to halve the number again over the coming ten years.