BY SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

A 37-year-old man became the country’s latest traffic fatality after he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into another car Sunday night.

The accident happened shortly after 11pm on Adelaide Road.

Superintendent Craig Stubbs, head of the Traffic Division, said officers received a call that two cars “crashed” just west of the Coral Lakes junction.

“According to our information, a 2005 Honda Accord was travelling east with one adult male driver and a 2007 Dodge Caliber was driving west when the driver of the Honda apparently lost control of his vehicle and entered into the west-bound lane where there was a collision with the Caliber,” Supt Stubbs said.

“Emergency medical services arrived on the scene and attended to both men. The adult male driver was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown into the passenger seat as a result of the impact.”

The driver has been identified as William Lamont Walkes.

Investigations continue.

According to the latest Royal Bahamas Police Force statistics, a total of 55 people died as the result of traffic accidents in 2015, the most in a year since 2009 when 56 people were killed.

The deceased included 13 people between the ages of 18 and 25, the most to die from any age group.

Eighteen of those who died were drivers, 16 were passengers, eight were pedestrians, seven were motorbike riders and four were bicyclists.

In terms of a monthly breakdown, most of the deaths took place during December, when 12 people died.

Nine of victims died in Grand Bahama, while New Providence counted 26 deaths.

By comparison, 37 people died in car accidents in 2014; 51 in 2013; 44 in 2012, and 32 in 2011.