69 Die in Canary Islands Road Accidents; Tenerife Leads Incidents
The Canary Islands saw a decrease in traffic accidents and victims in 2024, despite 69 road deaths, with Tenerife accounting for nearly half of all incidents.
In 2024, nearly half (47.1%) of all traffic accidents in the Canary Islands happened in Tenerife, with Gran Canaria accounting for 35.3%.
Overall, there were 3,854 road incidents across the islands last year, down from 4,270 in 2023. This decrease was seen on most islands, but La Palma saw a 13.5% increase. El Hierro reported no accidents at all.
These figures come from a balance report published this Monday by the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (Istac).
The total number of traffic accident victims, including those killed and injured, was 5,467 – a 7.5% drop compared to 2023.
Out of all accidents, 67 (1.6%) involved at least one death. Lanzarote had a higher proportion of fatal incidents, with 3.4% of its traffic accidents resulting in a fatality.
In 2024, 69 people died on Canary Islands roads. Tenerife and Gran Canaria had the most fatalities, with 33 and 22 deaths respectively. Lanzarote saw 10 road deaths, while Fuerteventura had 4. La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma reported no road fatalities last year.
Accidents involving motorcycles and mopeds caused 27 deaths in the Canary Islands in 2024, making up 39.1% of all fatalities. Motorcyclists accounted for the largest number of deaths. They were followed by 18 pedestrians killed in run-overs (26.1% of all fatalities), and 17 car occupants.
Urban roads were the scene of 51% of traffic accidents in the Canary Islands in 2024. On Gran Canaria and Tenerife, more incidents occurred on urban roads than on rural (interurban) roads. In contrast, only about one in ten traffic incidents in La Gomera and La Palma happened on urban roads.
Most traffic incidents in the Canary Islands were vehicle collisions, totaling 2,184 accidents and accounting for 56.7% of the total. Other common types included vehicles leaving the road (729 incidents), pedestrians being run over (459), and falls (314).
When looking at fatal accidents specifically, vehicles leaving the road were more common (44.8%) than vehicle collisions (25.4%). Of the 69 fatalities in 2024, most (30) resulted from vehicles leaving the road. There were also 19 deaths from vehicle collisions and 17 from pedestrians being run over.
Among those injured, 62% were hurt in vehicle collisions, and 18% were injured when a vehicle left the road.