It can be assumed that the rate and degree of severity of traffic accidents are stable in Jordan, though the number of traffic accidents will increase as would traffic congestion intensify for four reasons:

1. The rapid increase in population: the number has increased by six million people during the past two decades, to reach (11.4) million at present.

2. Proportion of the young in the structure of the population: 4.6 million of the population is under 18. It is most likely that half of those between the ages of 10-19 years (2.32 million) will probably own a vehicle for the first time in the coming next eight years 2023-2030.

3. 92% of the population, and henceforth motorists and vehicles, are concentrated in the eight governorates in the center and north of the Kingdom.

4. Decisions continue to be undertaken to change the utility of many streets allowing the establishment of various shops there.

The fourth of May of each year commemorates observing the World Traffic Day to mark worldwide concern in traffic accidents and the consequences that accompany that day of pain, losses and damages to individuals, families, local communities and nations.

Observing World Traffic Day is met with special attention by HPC as road accidents are the cause of deaths to people of all age groups and result in physical injuries, temporary and permanent disabilities and health ailments, leading to long lasting consequences in the lives of victims, and thus losing years of a healthy and economically productive life.

Accidents of all kinds, including traffic accidents, are the third main culprit of death in Jordan after diseases of the circulatory system and cancer.

The Traffic Department and the Traffic Institute in Jordan are working to expand traffic culture among citizens and enforce control and compliance with traffic rules to protect lives and property. These are very serious matters and have achieved a significant improvement in traffic security in Jordan. Directing traffic violations to the five main causes responsible for accidents before they occur will achieve more desired positive results. The sustainable development plan set an ambitious goal to reduce the number of casualties and injuries resulting from traffic accidents worldwide by half by 2030. Raising the level of traffic safety and reducing the severity of accidents remain to be among the biggest challenges facing all countries around the world.

Traffic facts about Jordan

• Jordan has witnessed a significant increase in the number of vehicles during the years 2017-2021, as the number of registered vehicles increased from about 1.58 million vehicles in 2017 to about 1.80 million vehicles in 2021, at a rate of one vehicle per every 6 people, with an annual increase in the number of vehicles amounting to (3.2%) in the past five years.

• Jordan enjoys a demographic structure of a young population; the percentage of children under 18 is about 40% of the total population, representing a driving force for further annual growth in the number of vehicles and motorists in the coming years as they approach the legal age to drive. Also to be taken into account is the unbalanced geographical distribution of the population, as about 92% of the population lives in the northwestern parts of the Kingdom, where a rapid increase in traffic congestion is evident.

• The increase in the number of vehicles and the increase in population came hand in hand with an increase in the number of traffic and road accidents in Jordan. In 2021, there were (160,600 accidents), of which 11,241 accidents resulted in injuries to individuals. Accidents causing injuries to people increased from 10,446 accidents in 2017 to 11,241 in 2021 (Figure 1) at a daily ‘accident’ rate of about 31 accidents in 2021, and a financial cost of JD 320 million in 2021, compared to JD 308 million in 2017.

• The death rate as a result of traffic accidents per 100 thousand people was 5.3, and the injured rate per 100 thousand people was 158.1.

• The rate of accident severity (the number of deaths and injuries in relation to the number of accidents) remained relatively stable during the years 2017-2021 at about 0.113, but it increased slightly compared to 2020 (the year of the pandemic), where it was 0.107.

• A further decrease in the severity of traffic accidents in Jordan can be achieved by directing traffic control and violations towards the main causes of accidents. 45% of the total number of accidents in 2021 were the result of the following three reasons:

• 25.2% for violations of motorists changing their lanes
• 10.6% for violations of not giving priority to other vehicles
• and 8.8% for close succession of vehicles on the road

Therefore, it is recommended to publish data on traffic violations distributed according to the cause of accidents, so that data analysts can find the extent of the relationship between the causes of violations and the causes of accidents.

• Man is the main cause of traffic accidents. Causes of traffic accidents for the year 2021 can be categorized as follows:

• 96.7% of the total injury accidents were caused by Man
• roads accounted to only 2.6%
• vehicles accounted to 0.7% of the total injury accidents.

• It is expected that the number of vehicles in Jordan will rise to 2.3 million vehicles by 2030. This, in turn, will require allocating large financial resources to develop and improve the network of roads and traffic safety. It is to be noted here that the share of the transport sector is about 47% of the total demand for energy in Jordan. It is also expected that the cost of transportation projects is to exceed JD 500 million by the end of 2027 and that most of these are projects connected to road networks and passenger transportation services.

• The age group 18 to 35 years was the group most affected by traffic accidents; drivers most involved in human injury accidents constituted 47.7% of the total injured (injuries + deaths) in traffic accidents according to the severity of the injury (Figure 2) and 44.4% of the total number of drivers involved in human injury accidents in 2021.

Global key facts

• 90% of the world's road traffic deaths occur in countries of low and middle income, even though these countries account for only 45% of world vehicles.

• About 1.3 million people die annually as a result of traffic accidents, i.e. at an average of more than two deaths per minute.

• The World Health Organization estimates that road accidents will cause 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries worldwide by 2030 if no serious action or effective procedures are taken.

• Injuries resulting from traffic accidents are the number one cause of death for children and youth between the ages of 5 and 29 worldwide.

• Almost half of the people who die on the  roads worldwide are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

• In most countries, traffic accidents cost 3% of the gross domestic product. Road traffic injuries cause huge economic losses to individuals, their families and countries on the whole. These losses result from the cost of treatment as well as the lost productivity of people who die or are disabled by their injuries, as well as by family members who have to miss work or school to care for the injured.

Norway is the country with the lowest death rate caused by traffic accidents per 100,000 inhabitants, at a rate of 1.5.