37 people were killed and 150 others were injured in the first two days of the Eid al-Fitr holiday across Turkey as millions of travelers hit the roads to seize the opportunity of four-day holiday.
According to the Dogan News Agency count based on official figures, 10 people were killed on the first day of the Eid while 27 have died on the previous day when most of the travelers started their journey.
Many officials, including Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and the head of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB, better known as Diyanet) Mehmet Görmez, tried to raise awareness about traffic safety and urged drivers to follow the rules during the holiday season.
During the Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, in 2016, a total of 103 people were killed and 7,175 others were injured in more than 3,120 traffic accidents across the country from September 10-18.
Accidents during the holiday season are commonly caused by violations of traffic safety rules and drivers' inability to adjust the speed of their vehicles according to the varying traffic conditions, but experts say that casualties can be minimized with a few safety tips such as not getting behind the wheel in a state of drowsiness and also taking short naps on long trips.
