In the first nine months of this year, 516 people were killed in traffic accidents on Serbian roads, 10.7 percent more than in the same period of 2010, when 466 participants in traffic died.

The number of injured people during the same interval rose 4.5 percent, according to a release made available to Tanjug by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A total of 14,560 people were injured in traffic accidents in the first nine months of 2011compared to 13,934 last year.

Between January 1 and September 30 this year, 31,891 traffic accidents occurred on Serbian roads, 7.1 percent less than in the same period of 2010, when there was a total of 34,314 accidents.

The reason for the rise in casualties, despite a strict traffic safety law which came into effect in December 2009, is reckless driving and the need to change some segments of the law, according to the authorities.