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EDAN: Traffic accidents have claimed over 1,900 lives in North Sumatra province as of October this year, a police report revealed on Monday.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Wisjnu Amat Sastro said traffic accidents were ranked third in terms of human fatalities in the province, after heart attacks and tuberculosis.

This year, he said, road accidents had increased to 4,369 cases from last year’s total of 3,769, resulting in 1,907 deaths. “At least four to five people die each day in road accidents. The death toll is quite high and preventative measures must be carried out to address the problem.”

He added the majority of vehicles involved in road accidents were motorcycles at 65 percent, followed by cars and trucks. Wisjnu lamented that victims were largely young people between the ages of 16 and 30 years.