Claim: A recent social media post by Beta Tiz shared statistics on road accidents and their causes in Cameroon. The post read,
“… In 2000: 2000 deaths
BetaTinz Post
In 2011: 1588 dead / 4937injured
In 2015: 1361 dead / 4165 injured
In 2020: 633 dead / 1916 injured
Causes:
84% by Human mistakes
8% by Materials/faulty cars
5% by Road condition
3% by a Mixture of the above
Source: National Gendarmerie”
Verdict: The source cited in the social media post does not have this stastics on their website or social media pages. In Addition the statistics provided is incorrect. However, road safety information is available on the National Gendarmerie website. It highlights risks associated with drinking and driving, emphasizing the importance of responsible behaviour on the roads.
Key Findings, Road Accidents & Causes in Cameroon
Road Traffic Deaths
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report for 2023, road traffic injury deaths in Cameroon reached 6,000 accounting for 2.7% of total deaths. This means that approximately 1 in every 37 deaths in Cameroon is due to road accidents. The age-adjusted death rate for road injuries in Cameroon is 33.8 per 100,000 population, ranking the country 27th globally.
Annual Road Accidents
Government statistics indicate that Cameroon records an estimated 16,583 road accidents each year. These accidents result in the deaths of over 1,000 people and injuries to approximately 6,000 individuals. Shockingly, 18 people die from road traffic accidents every day in Cameroon, averaging 1 death every 80 minutes.
Causes of the Accident
Human causes of road traffic accidents
Government statistics in 2019 indicates that human causes account for 70% of road traffic accidents in Cameroon , with driver’s inattention, excess speed, and poor driving skills (especially amongst drivers with no legal driving licenses and over 7000 drivers with fake licenses.
Mechanical causes of road traffic accidents
Government Statistics in 2019 showed that 20% of traffic accidents in Cameroon are due to mechanical default. Most of the vehicles, especially public transport vehicle are over 15years of age with little or no maintenance.
Environmental causes of road traffic accidents
Environmental causes of road traffic accidents are also frequent registered causes of road accidents. Bad road conditions alone account for 10% of all road traffic accidents, according to official figures. In addition, lack of road safety signage is also accountable for environmental causes of road traffic accidents.
Other Fact Checks From Cameroon Check check (click the hyperlink on Cameroon Check)
