Sixteen people lost their lives in road traffic accidents recorded countrywide between December 31, 2025, and January 2, 2026, according to the Zambia Police Service.
Zambia Police Spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi says a total of 136 road traffic accidents were recorded between 18:00 hours on December 31 and 06:00 hours on January 2. These included 16 fatal accidents that claimed 16 lives, 14 serious accidents that left 24 people seriously injured, and 35 slight accidents resulting in 56 minor injuries.
A further 71 accidents involved damage only, bringing the total number of casualties to 96.
Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of accidents with 59 cases, followed by the Copperbelt with 33, while Muchinga Province recorded no accidents during the period under review.
Police have attributed most of the accidents to human error, with excessive speed emerging as the leading cause, followed by failure to keep to the nearside, improper overtaking, and misjudging clearance distance.
By Elfi Mwale Shampande
