By Pemphero Malimba:
The Malawi Police Service (MPS) says it has recorded 1,894 cases of road accidents between January and June this year, as compared to 2,124 cases registered during the corresponding period last year.
This translates to an 11 percent decrease.
This is contained in a statement signed by national police spokesperson Peter Kalaya.
- Advertisement -
According to Kalaya, out of the 1,894 accidents recorded, 411 were fatal, from which 464 people died.
- Advertisement -
In 2024, 373 cases were fatal, with 465 deaths.
He said the total number of serious accidents recorded during the period in 2025 were 111, out of which 201 sustained serious injuries.
Two hundred and twenty-four people sustained serious injuries in 113 road accidents which were recorded during the corresponding period in 2024.
“The analysis shows that [the] Central West Region registered the highest number of accidents during the period; 688, followed by South West Region; 660, representing 36 percent and 35 percent, respectively, of the total number of recorded accidents.
- Advertisement -
Lilongwe topped the list of districts with the most road accidents; 325, from which 33 people were killed,” Kalaya said.
He said the statistics also show that saloon vehicles were involved in 1,367 accidents, the highest, representing 39 percent of all accidents, followed by motorcycles at 14 percent.
“The analysis further reveals that speeding remains the leading cause of accidents, accounting for 34 percent of the accidents [recorded] in the period under review. Pedestrians accounted for 40 percent of total road users killed in accidents,” he said, indicating that the rate of accidents among motorcyclists was pegged at 15 percent,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kalaya has said MPS records on road accident cases covering a period of five years from 2020 reveal a decreasing trend.
“In 2020, MPS recorded 10, 801 [cases] while in 2021 it recorded 9, 416 accidents. In 2022, road accidents decreased to 5, 553 while in 2023, they decreased to 4,977. In 2024, MPS recorded 4, 247 road accidents,” he said.
Kalaya said police were happy with the decrease, attributing the development to effective implementation of its potent strategies for managing traffic and dedication of its traffic officers in enforcing road traffic rules and regulations.
“MPS assures all that it will continue developing and implementing good strategies for managing traffic to further reduce [cases of] road accidents for the safety of all road users in the country,” he said.
