Zimbabwe road traffic accidents jump to 28,159 in 6 months

A deadly collision along Harare's Seke Road on Tuesday has once again spotlighted Zimbabwe's deepening road safety crisis. The horrific crash, which claimed 17 lives-including two pedestrians-has become a grim symbol of an increasingly dangerous transport system.

The fatal incident involved a commuter omnibus and a haulage truck, two of the most common vehicles on Zimbabwe's congested roads. Yet it was not an isolated tragedy. According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), road traffic accidents are soaring at alarming levels.

Between January and June 2025, Zimbabwe recorded 28,159 road traffic accidents-up from 25,968 during the same period last year. Fatal crashes rose by 11 percent, from 784 to 870, while road deaths increased by nearly 5 percent from 1,037 to 1,088.

Although the number of injuries dropped slightly by 5.6 percent-from 5,856 to 5,525-authorities warn this may reflect a disturbing trend: road accidents are becoming deadlier.

The second quarter of 2025 was particularly catastrophic. Accidents surged by nearly 20 percent from the first quarter, rising from 12,808 to 15,350. Fatal crashes jumped 30.1 percent from 378 to 492, while deaths spiked by 34.4 percent-from 464 to 624. May emerged as the deadliest month with 215 deaths, while June recorded the highest number of fatal crashes (169) and injuries (1,068).

Experts and authorities agree on the primary culprit-reckless driving.

"Ninety-four percent of road crashes are attributable to human error," said the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe. These include speeding, tailgating, misjudgement, and illegal turns-factors cited repeatedly in the draft Harare Master Plan (2025–2045), which attributes 99.2 percent of Harare's road accidents to driver-related behaviour.

"Between 2020 and 2024, the leading seven causes of road traffic accidents in Harare revolved around the driver," reads the report.

In contrast, road infrastructure deficiencies contributed a minuscule 0.1 percent to accidents, debunking popular beliefs that bad roads are the main cause of carnage.

Harare remains the most dangerous city for road users. The master plan reveals an 87.5 percent spike in traffic accidents in the capital between 2021 and 2022-from 12,089 to 22,670. Since then, figures have hovered above 21,000 annually, with 22,459 recorded in 2024.

This translates to a crash rate of 12.1 accidents per 1,000 residents-staggeringly high for a city of 1.84 million people.

Seke Road, where the recent tragedy occurred, is one of several black spots. Others include Simon Mazorodze Road, Kirkman Road, and major arteries such as Bulawayo, Borrowdale, Mutare and Willowvale roads. High-density suburbs like Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Highfield and Glen View are also high-risk zones.

Accidents peak during rush hours, particularly from 7am to 8am and 4pm to 7pm, coinciding with heavy commuter traffic and the reckless conduct of pirate taxis (mishikashika) and kombi drivers racing to maximise income.

In response to rising fatalities, police are calling for a review of traffic fines to make them more punitive.

"The fines somehow appear ‘affordable', hence not deterrent enough to the extent that violators are somehow motivated to repeat bad practices," said Commissioner Gift Hlabiso, chief staff officer for the ZRP's Electronic Traffic Management System, during last week's National Road Safety Indaba.

The Government has begun implementing a Smart Traffic Management System in Harare and Bulawayo to enforce traffic laws more effectively. Last month, Cabinet approved TelOne's Safe City Project, a locally developed initiative designed to curb carnage through digital surveillance and automated enforcement.

Tuesday's crash serves as a tragic reminder of the urgency with which Zimbabwe must address its road safety crisis. While infrastructure improvements may take time, experts agree that changing driver behaviour-through education, enforcement and accountability-remains the fastest way to reverse the deadly trend.