Traffic accidents in 2020 claimed more than 1,700 lives in Libya
Libyan roads saw 36% more traffic accidents in 2020 than the year prior and even more deaths
The Ministry also added that in 4,131 accidents between January and November, 1,743 people severely injured and 1,532 others sustained minor injuries.
It also noted that over 6,000 cars were damaged with a total value of public property damage estimated at 280 million Libyan dinars.
The number of traffic accidents in 2020 was over 36% higher than the numbers recorded in 2019 which saw around 1,115 traffic accidents with 1,409 deaths, a steep drop when compared to the whopping 2,500 deaths recorded in 2018.
The accidents largely affect young people due to their boundless disregard for traffic rules and a stark lack of consequences to those that violate driving laws.
Libya’s traffic police are largely underfunded and oftentimes overlooked as a result of the country’s state of continued chaos since the eruption of the 2011 revolution.
According to GNA’s Traffic Department Colonel Abdel-Nasser Ellafi, roads are deadlier than guns in Libya as the country holds a world record for the number of deadly road accidents per capita.
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