- Seventy-one people died on Liberian roads in the first three months of 2026, with March alone accounting for the deadliest surge of the quarter -- figures that put the country on pace to significantly exceed the 236 road deaths recorded across all of last year.
The Liberia National Police recorded 478 road traffic accidents between January and March, leaving 309 people injured in addition to the deaths, according to a quarterly report released Thursday.
March was by far the worst month of the quarter, accounting for 186 of the 478 total accidents, nearly 40 percent of all cases, as well as the highest number of fatalities and injuries recorded in any single month during the period.
If the current pace holds, Liberia could see well over 280 road deaths by year's end, surpassing the 236 fatalities that prompted government warnings just three months ago.
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Where and how accidents are happening
Car-to-car collisions were the most common type of accident, followed by motorcycle incidents -- known locally as "pen-pen." Together, the two categories accounted for nearly 70 percent of all recorded cases.
Montserrado County, which includes the capital Monrovia, recorded 279 accidents, more than 58 percent of the national total, followed by Nimba County, River Gee County, and Margibi County. Male road users accounted for the majority of casualties.
A warning that was already on the table
The Q1 figures land just weeks after the government sounded the alarm over the 2025 full-year data.
In January, Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah said police had recorded 1,564 road accidents across Liberia in 2025, killing 236 people and injuring 992 others. He singled out commercial motorcyclists and tricycle riders, or "keke" riders, as a growing danger.
"Whether you're driving an actual motor vehicle or a keke or a pen-pen, the recklessness is alarming," Piah said.
Of the 236 deaths in 2025, 206 were male and 30 female, a disparity Piah attributed largely to the high number of men operating commercial motorcycles and tricycles.
He also raised concern about a rise in hit-and-run incidents, particularly during late-night and early-morning hours, calling the behavior "unthinkable."
"You hit another human being, and you just run away," he said. "If you are a human being with five senses, it should be unthinkable."
Enforcement response
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The Liberia National Police is urging all road users, drivers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians to strictly adhere to traffic regulations, warning that violators face arrest and prosecution.
Piah said in January that the government was already stepping up enforcement. "The police are taking some actions to reduce the rising wave of accidents and to ensure that those who continue to act recklessly and injure others are cross-checked and punished," he said.
The Q1 2026 data suggest that effort has yet to produce a measurable reduction in casualties.
