Road Traffic Accidents: Q1/2026
The number of reported traffic accidents during the first quarter of 2026 reached 3,495, up by 0.8 per cent over the same period in 2025. The Northern Harbour district registered the most accidents with 1,217 cases or 34.8 per cent of all accidents (Table 1).
Road traffic casualties decreased by 5.1 per cent to 282 over the same period in 2025. Grievously injured persons amounted to 91, and consisted of 59 drivers, 7 passengers and 25 pedestrians/cyclists/others.
The injuries sustained by one driver, one pedestrian and one e-kick scooter rider proved fatal (Tables 4-6). During this quarter, one less fatality was registered when compared to the same period in 2025 (Chart 1).
The majority of those grievously injured were males (76.9 per cent). Moreover, the fatalities that occurred during this quarter involved two males and one female. With regard to age cohorts, 37.6 per cent of the casualties involved persons in the 26 to 40 age bracket (Chart 2 and Table 5).
The largest number of road traffic casualties (52.1 per cent) involved passenger cars, followed by motorcycles (35.8 per cent) and goods-carrying vehicles (5.7 per cent). The fatalities included one driver crashing into a vehicle, a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle and an e-kick scooter rider crashing into a property. A total of three cyclists were involved in traffic accidents, of whom one sustained grievous injuries, one sustained slight injuries, and another sustained insignificant injuries (Tables 6-7). Road traffic casualties resulting from accidents between vehicles accounted for 62.1 per cent of all road traffic casualties (Table 7).
The highest number of road traffic casualties occurred on Thursdays with 52 casualties, and the highest number of road traffic accidents occurred on Mondays with 575 cases or 16.5 per cent of the total (Table 8). The highest number of road traffic accidents occurred between 12:00 and 14:59, with 845 cases or 24.2 per cent of the total, followed by those occurring between 09:00 and 11:59, with 809 cases. The lowest number of accidents occurring daily took place between 00:00 and 02:59, with 55 cases (Table 9).
The highest incidence of road traffic accidents was registered in Ħal Qormi with 229 cases, followed Birkirkara and Il-Marsa, with 213 and 175 cases respectively (Table 10, Map 1 and Chart 5).
Ta’ Kerċem, Il-Fontana, L-Għarb, and L-Għasri registered less than five road traffic accidents.(Map 1 and Table 10).
Map 1. Road traffic accidents by locality: January-March 2026
All districts recorded an increase in road traffic accidents, except for the Western and Northern districts, which recorded a decrease, when compared to the first quarter of the previous year. The South Eastern district registered the highest percentage increase in road traffic accidents at 9.2 per cent, while the Northern district registered the largest percentage decrease at 12.1 per cent (Table 1 and Map 2).
Map 2. Percentage change in road traffic accidents by district: January-March 2026/2025
Additional Tables and Charts
Tables
Note: Percentages may not add up due to rounding.
Methodological Notes
1. Road traffic accidents data is compiled from administrative information provided by the Malta Police Force and the Malta Insurance Association (LESA).
2. Definitions:
a. Total road traffic accidents consist of the road traffic accidents involving casualties (police reports) and the minor road traffic accidents without casualties (police and warden reports).
b. Non-injury (minor) road traffic accidents refer to accidents assessed by wardens and/or the police involving at least one vehicle and in which no persons are injured. Non-injury road traffic accidents which are either not reported or directly reported to insurance agencies by means of the Traffic Accident Form (i.e. where no police or wardens are called on the accident scene and are settled by the completion of the relevant form) are not accounted for.
c. Insignificant injury is determined by the police as the sustaining of a very minimal injury (e.g. bruise, scratch, etc.) or shock due to accident which, in most cases, requires very basic treatment or no treatment at all.
d. The definition of slight injury is as listed in Art. 221 et sequitur of the Criminal Code, Chapter 9 of the Laws of Malta.
e. The definition of grievous injury is as listed in Art. 216 et sequitur of the Criminal Code, Chapter 9 of the Laws of Malta.
f. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) defines road fatal injury as: “Any person who was killed outright or who died within 30 days as a result of the accident”.
g. Road traffic accident fatalities data may be subject to revisions. For certain cases, the NSO may need to wait for the cause of the fatality to be duly established by the conclusions of a magisterial inquiry.
3. The casualty-to-accident ratio indicates the risk level of suffering an injury in an accident. Therefore, a higher percentage rate means that the corresponding accidents were more serious (i.e. more persons were injured).
4. Data is subject to revision.
5. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:
Sources and Methods
Statistical Concepts
LAU Classification
NUTS Classification
Spatial divisions for MALTA
6. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
7. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
8. For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
Road Traffic Accidents: Q1/2026
- There were three road traffic fatalities involving two males and one female during January-March 2026.
- During the first quarter of 2026, road traffic accidents increased by 0.8 per cent, and casualties decreased by 5.1 per cent, when compared to the same period in 2025.
- Between January-March 2026, the highest number of road traffic accidents occurred on Mondays with 575 cases or 16.5 per cent of the total.
- Ħal Qormi registered the highest number of road traffic accidents at 229 cases.
