Alarming Surge in Traffic Fatalities: Morocco Grapples with Escalating Road Accidents

Tuesday 09 January 2024 - 08:10

Rabat - A solemn atmosphere filled the conference room as Transportation Minister Mohamed Abdel Jalil addressed the Administrative Council of Morocco's National Road Safety Agency last Friday. Revealing the latest statistics on traffic accidents, a troubling trend emerged: fatalities on the country's roads are sharply increasing once again, reversing years of hard-earned progress.

Abdel Jalil announced, "Provisional data for the first ten months of 2023 indicate a 9.5 percent rise in traffic accident deaths compared to the same period last year." This marks a significant setback from the previous downward trajectory, during which fatalities decreased by 22.47 percent between 2015 and 2022, thanks to the National Road Safety Strategy.

Currently, the progress achieved over the better part of a decade hangs in the balance. Fatalities surged by 31.14 percent across nearly all vehicle categories, with motorcycles - already deemed high risk - experiencing an even more substantial spike.

During the subsequent strategy evaluation and planning session, Abdel Jalil emphasized the imperative for all institutional actors to critically reassess areas for improvement. With only three years remaining until the conclusion of the current National Strategy in 2026, stakeholders must devise an effective action plan based on insights drawn from past challenges and successes.

"We must engage all parties to objectively evaluate our achievements thus far and identify current obstacles," he urged the Council members. "Only through this comprehensive assessment can we chart the way forward and establish targeted priorities for the next five years."

The Ministry's sobering statistics underscore that the journey towards safer streets remains extensive. However, with a united purpose, Morocco still possesses the potential to reverse this alarming trend.