The number of road accident fatalities in Egypt declined to 5,861 in 2023 from 7,762 in 2022, marking a 24.5 percent decrease, according to Ahram Online, on data from The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) stated in its annual report on road and train accidents that the severity rate (number of deaths per 100 injuries) was 8.3 in 2023, compared to 13.9 in 2022, a decrease of 40.3 percent.
The fatality rate per 100,000 people decreased to 5.6 in 2023 from 7.5 in 2022, marking a 25.3 percent decrease. Road accident injuries reached 71,016 in 2023, a 27 percent increase from 55,991 in 2022. The injury rate per 100,000 people increased to 67.5 in 2023 from 54.0 in 2022, marking a 25 percent increase.
Cairo governorate had the highest number of fatalities at 718, while North Sinai Governorate had the lowest at 18 in 2023. Daqahliya governorate had the highest injuries at 14,192, while Ismailia Governorate had the lowest at 170 injuries in 2023.
The deadliest months were January and April, each with 540 deaths, while December had the lowest, with 431 deaths in 2023. October had the highest number of road accident injuries, totaling 6,723, whereas February had the lowest, with 4,690 injuries in 2023.
Males topped the casualties list in 2023, with 4,902 male fatalities and 959 female fatalities recorded throughout the year.
There were also 57,198 male injuries and 13,531 female injuries in 2023. The highest number of fatalities by age group was among those under 15 years old, with 1,409 deaths, followed by those under 35, with 891 deaths. The lowest was in the under-five age group, with 291 deaths in 2023. The highest number of injuries by age group was among those under 15 years old, with 21,151 injuries, followed by those under 25, with 12,654 injuries. The lowest was in the 65+ age group, with 2,127 injuries in 2023.
Fatalities by road user type ranked pedestrians first with 2,199 deaths, followed by drivers with 1,442 deaths in 2023. Injuries by road user type ranked passengers first, with 22,454 injuries, followed by pedestrians, with 17,553 injuries.
The number of train accidents (both the authority’s responsibility and others) was 181 in 2023, compared to 831 in 2022, a 78.2 percent decrease. The highest number of train accidents was in the Central region, with 45 accidents, while the lowest was in the East Delta region, with 20 accidents. The number of fatalities in train accidents (both the authority’s responsibility and others) was 53 in 2023, while the number of injuries was 51 in 2022. In 2023, 636 passengers were killed in train accidents, while 398 were injured. Five staff members died in train accidents, while 237 were injured.
The train accident rate per estimated population in mid-year 2023 was 0.02 (accidents per 10,000 people), while the accident rate per number of train passengers was 0.7 (accidents per million passengers). The severity rate of train accidents was 103.9 (deaths per 100 injuries) in 2023, compared to 120.4 (deaths per 100 injuries) in 2022.
The government has been enhancing road safety measures to prevent traffic accidents as part of ongoing efforts to develop and upgrade the nation’s road system as part of the 2014 National Road Project. Additionally, the Egyptian government has been carrying out large-scale, multibillion-pound initiatives to upgrade an antiquated signaling system and replace hundreds of outdated train carriages.
The railway plan also entails enhancing and outfitting workshops with contemporary tools and implementing automatic train control with a speed control system in the event of an emergency. The country is also currently constructing monorail lines in cooperation with international companies. Additionally, in March, Egypt signed a protocol with Spanish high-speed train manufacturer Talgo to manufacture railway passenger carriages domestically.
