According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, the number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Germany decreased by 12 per cent to a 60-year low of 3,648 in 2010 compared to 2009. Paradoxically, the number of accidents registered by the police rose by 4.3 per cent to an 11-year high of around 2.4 millon. The increase in the number of accidents has been put down to the exceptional weather conditions, in particular in the winter season.