Many of these fatalities from road crashes could be prevented, as a significant portion of accidents result from human error.
Common mistakes include over speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to use seat belts and helmets, and inadequate road infrastructure.
According to a report by the Voice of America, researchers say no African country has national laws that meet best road practices.
Road crash-prone regions
WHO says road traffic deaths disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, accounting for over 90% of global fatalities.
The WHO African Region is particularly affected, with higher death rates from road crashes compared to the European Region.
The report notes that more than half of fatalities occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists showing that even within high-income countries, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes.
Key insights from the report
The WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023details the scale of global road traffic deaths and progress in advancing laws, strategies and actions to reduce them around the world.
The fifth report in the series provides a comprehensive overview of global progress in road safety from 2010 to 2021.
The report also serves as a baseline for the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030), which aims to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
According to the report, there has been a slight decline in road traffic deaths, with an average of 1.19 million fatalities per year.
The data suggests that efforts to improve road safety are yielding positive results.
According to the WHO data, the following African countries recorded the highest number of road fatalities during the period;
| 1 | Nigeria | 36722 | 17.2 |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 21258 | 17.7 |
| 3 | DR Congo | 15615 | 16.3 |
| 4 | Kenya | 14926 | 28.2 |
| 5 | South Africa | 14528 | 24.5 |
| 6 | Egypt | 10263 | 9.4 |
| 7 | Sudan | 8967 | 19.6 |
| 8 | Ghana | 8494 | 25.9 |
| 9 | Algeria | 8106 | 18.3 |
| 10 | Uganda | 7315 | 16 |
Nigeria had the highest number of road crash fatalities, followed by Ethiopia and DR Congo.
However, when measured per 100,000 population, countries like Kenya (28.2), Ghana (25.9), and South Africa (24.5) recorded much higher fatality rates.
With an average traffic fatality rate of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people, Africa is the most affected by road crashes, compared to 16 deaths per 100,000 in Southeast Asia, and 6.5 deaths per 100,000 in Europe.
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