Tunisia’s Interior Minister, Khaled Nouri, has unveiled a comprehensive National Road Safety Plan aimed at cutting road accidents by 50% by 2034.
Speaking during a dialogue session at the National Council of Regions and Districts, Nouri said the strategy targets the root causes of accidents, with a multi-stakeholder approach. It includes a complete overhaul of road safety legislation, focusing on effective enforcement on the ground.
Alcohol testing introduced
As part of the new plan, Colonel Sami Saoudi, spokesperson for the National Road Traffic Observatory, announced on Mosaïque FM that advanced breathalyzer devices are now officially deployed to detect blood alcohol levels in drivers.
These high-tech devices, already distributed to specialized security units, provide instant, accurate results, enabling police to take immediate legal action. This move is part of Tunisia’s broader strategy to reduce traffic fatalities.
When a driver tests positive, and exceeds the legal alcohol limit, a second verification is carried out via an evidential breathalyzer or a blood test. Two samples are taken under strict conditions to confirm intoxication.
Saoudi emphasized that avoiding drunk driving is a shared responsibility among all road users.
Significant decline in road accidents
From January 1 to March 20, 2025, Tunisia recorded a 29.7% drop in traffic accidents compared to the same period in 2024, according to the National Road Safety Observatory (ONSR).
Thus, 901 accidents were recorded during this period, compared to 1,282 accidents during the same period the previous year. Consequently, the number of fatalities in these accidents decreased by 3.06%, with 222 deaths compared to 229 during the same period in 2024.
As for the number of injured, it dropped from 1,687 people the previous year to 1,198 this year, marking a decrease of 28.99%.
Among the causes of these accidents, inattention ranks first at 40.84%, followed by speeding at 14.65%. Inattention is also the leading cause in 27.48% of fatal accidents, with speeding accounting for 24.32% of cases.
