POLICE have revealed that the country recorded over 10,000 road traffic accidents, in which 667 people died, during the fourth quarter of 2025.

In a statement, police spokesperson Geoffrey Chilabi said that during the period from September 1 to December 31, 2025, police recorded a total of 10,400 road traffic accidents countrywide.

He said of the accidents recorded, 554 were fatal, resulting in 667 deaths.

“Serious accidents accounted for 856 cases, leaving 1,776 people seriously injured, while 1,971 slight accidents caused 2,914 minor injuries. A further 7,019 accidents were classified as damage-only,” he said.

Mr Chilabi said Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of road traffic accidents at 5,515, followed by Copperbelt Province with 1,197 and Central Province with 1,091.

Meanwhile, a total of 385 child casualties were recorded in road traffic accidents.

Of these, 210 were boys, among whom 35 died, 77 sustained serious injuries and 98 sustained minor injuries.

Mr Chilabi said the remaining 175 were girls, of whom 21 died, 62 sustained serious injuries and 92 sustained minor injuries.

He attributed the accidents largely to human error, with major contributing factors including excessive speed, misjudgement of clearance distance, failure to keep to the nearside and improper overtaking, among others.

“The 10,400 accidents recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025 represent a 13 percent increase compared to the 9,203 accidents reported during the same period in 2024, which resulted in 614 fatalities,” he said.

Mr Chilabi further said police recorded an increase in admission-of-guilt fine collections, with a total of over K22 million collected in 2025.

“A total of K22,870,266 was collected in 2025 compared to K20,434,509 in 2024, representing an increase of K2,435,757, or 11.9 percent,” he said.

He urged all road users to strictly observe traffic rules and regulations to reduce accidents, protect lives and ensure the safety of all road users.

(Mwebantu, Saturday, 10th January, 2026)