Libya has the highest rate of traffic accident fatalities worldwide, according to the international road safety classification, announced the High Council of State. The fatality rate in Libya stands at 73 deaths per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the global standard of 20 deaths per 100,000 people.
This announcement was made during a meeting of the National Security Committee of the High Council of State, chaired by Said Wanis. The meeting included representatives from the Libyan Association for Road Safety.
The meeting’s agenda focused on discussing recommendations from the council’s 99th session concerning asylum and illegal immigration with the Council’s Rights and Freedoms Committee. They also heard from the Arab Road Safety Association about public road quality issues.
The High Council of State emphasised the need to improve road infrastructure and intensify awareness campaigns. It highlighted the importance of strict enforcement of traffic laws to reduce fatal accidents and save lives.
Earlier, Interior Ministry of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) announced that traffic accidents have caused a total of 424 fatalities during the months of January and February.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the statistics from the Traffic Affairs Department revealed that 695 people sustained severe injuries due to these incidents.
Traffic accidents continue to pose a significant challenge in Libya, with various factors contributing to the high number of incidents. These factors include reckless driving, inadequate infrastructure, poor vehicle maintenance, and a lack of awareness about traffic regulations.
Last year, the Libyan Ministry of Interior reported 1,279 fatalities resulting from traffic accidents, in the first half of 2023.
According to statistics, a total of 4,184 traffic incidents occurred during this period, causing 1,828 severe injuries and 1,686 minor injuries. The accidents incurred an estimated loss of 32,022,964 Libyan Dinars.
Last October, the GNU announced that traffic accidents have resulted in the deaths of 9,245 individuals over the past five years.
According to the government’s estimates, severe injuries were recorded, totalling 11,532 between 2018 and 2023. Additionally, the number of damaged vehicles amounted to 39,218. It also estimated economic losses of about 218 million Libyan dinars.
In the first half of 2023, Libya slipped out of the road infrastructure quality ranking with a score of 1/7, according to the latest report from the World Economic Forum (WEF). Morocco topped the North African region with a score of 4.5/7, outperforming Tunisia (3.7), Algeria (3.5), and Mauritania (2.0).
