Motorcycle Safety in Africa

7th July 2022

Motorcycle Safety in Africa

In developing countries with inadequate public transport and road infrastructure, motorcycles present a fast, cheap, and efficient transport alternative. Motorcycles are widely used in many African countries for personal and public transport, as well as for service delivery.

In some African countries, motorised two and three-wheelers constitute the largest proportion of the motorised vehicle population. However, despite their benefits, motorcycles expose their riders and passengers to a high risk of serious injury or death in the event of crashes.

Motorcycle safety is therefore a significant problem in Africa. On average, 22.5% of road traffic deaths in 2016 involved riders/passengers of two- and three-wheelers, according to the last data published by World Health Organisation (WHO, 2018).

Report by the AfDB