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The president of the Traffic Accidents Association, Wafa'i Masis, said that the cost of traffic accidents in Jordan decreased to 942 million dinars last year, noting that it is equivalent to about 2.8% of the gross domestic product.
Masis explained that the cost of traffic accidents is not limited to material damages to vehicles and properties, but also includes treatment costs, operations in hospitals, insurance, as well as losses related to production.
He pointed out that insurance costs include paying 20,000 dinars for a person who died in a traffic accident, and 7,500 dinars for a person who suffered a serious injury, noting that the cost of an accident resulting in human injuries is estimated at about 5,000 dinars per person at a minimum.
Masis pointed out that the cost estimate is based on the total material and human damages, explaining that the World Health Organization estimates the cost of traffic accidents in countries at about 3% of the gross domestic product.
He stressed that reducing traffic deaths and injuries requires looking at the traffic safety system as a whole, and not limiting the causes of accidents to the driver, vehicle, or road, emphasizing the importance of developing infrastructure and providing road safety requirements.
He said that between 50% and 60% of the vehicles operating in the Kingdom are in the capital Amman, noting that a number of roads need to be rehabilitated and traffic safety factors enhanced.
Masis pointed out that the traffic safety system has evolved to include seven elements, after previously focusing on three basic elements: engineering, awareness, and law enforcement, stressing the importance of keeping up with developments in traffic safety science, which contributes to reducing accidents and deaths.
For his part, the head of the Parliamentary Services and Transport Committee, Ayman Al-Badadowa, said that the material losses resulting from traffic accidents doubled in 2024 compared to 2022, stressing that the rates of accidents and deaths are unacceptable and require intensified efforts to reduce them.
Al-Badadowa added that dealing with traffic accidents does not fall on the shoulders of one party, but requires joint work between drivers, road users, and the parties responsible for traffic engineering and infrastructure, including the authorities concerned with roads inside and outside Amman.
He pointed out that the overlap of responsibilities between the authorities concerned with the roads may hinder the identification of the party responsible for addressing some problems, stressing the need to enhance coordination and collaborative work to improve traffic safety.
The number of traffic accidents deaths in Jordan decreased by 2.12% and serious injuries by 11.3% during the first nine months of 2026, while all dangerous traffic sites, numbering 159 critical points, were treated.
The Ministry of Interior explained that this came within the implementation of the Traffic Safety Executive Plan 2025-2026, through a set of legislation and projects to address critical sites.
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