Aare Sulg, director of the traffic crimes unit at Tartu Police Department, pointed out that such an increase would previously occur over a 20-year period.

No such drastic change was recorded in the number of traffic injuries.

"Drivers are actually inattentive," Sulg said. "They don't take road conditions into consideration, or they overestimate their [driving] abilities. Most of these fatal traffic wrecks have involved vehicles going off the road. That is directly related to speed."

Tartu Ambulance Foundation medical director Tuuli Paju noted that the rise in traffic fatalities has affected the work of emergency medical services (EMS) as well.

"Due to the frequent crashes, EMS has been able to utilize its special training and skills, as well as cooperate with rescuers and police," Paju highlighted.

"But at some scenes, it unfortunately hasn't been possible to save anyone," she continued. "This has not significantly increased the number of EMS visits. Of course, such serious cases are harder for EMS workers to process mentally than treating someone with a fever. In that regard, it has been a more mentally challenging year.

Maria Pashkevich, director of the Road Safety Department at the Transport Administration, explained that this change in the traffic fatalities situation hasn't been exclusive to this year alone.

"In fact, this is the third consecutive year in which the number of traffic deaths has gone up," she acknowledged. "This is not a one-year trend."

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