Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman recorded 586 fatalities from 1,854 road accidents in 2024, which also resulted in 1,936 injuries.
Those dead included 235 male drivers, 125 male passengers, and 131 male pedestrians, according to the annual report of the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
These incidents take place despite having one of the finest road networks in the world, and also stringent traffic penalties in case of violations that are imposed by the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
According to the World Population Review by WEF for 2024, Oman's roads are ranked eighth globally and second in the Arab World in the Road Quality Index. This ranking is also reflected in travel advisories issued by some countries to their nationals visiting Oman, stating, "Roads in Oman are good, but exercise caution as rainfall can cause significant flooding during the rainy season."
Causes
The majority of accidents were due to collisions between vehicles (806), run-overs (389), and hitting fixed objects (338).
Among women, 17 drivers, 50 passengers, and 28 pedestrians lost their lives in these accidents.
A total of 293 expatriates lost their lives in 2024 in road accidents, including 215 males and 78 females, compared to 276 Omani males and 17 females.
Year-to-year
Year-wise, the Sultanate reported 586 deaths and 1,936 injuries from 1,854 accidents in 2024, compared to 595 accidents and 2,129 injuries from 2,040 accidents in 2023 and 532 deaths and 2080 injuries from 2040 accidents in 2022.
Major causes for deaths from accidents are Speed, negligence, bad behaviour, fatigue, overtaking, intoxication, not leaving a safe distance, and defects in vehicles.
Bad behaviour
It may be noted that bad behaviour was responsible for 99 deaths in 2024, compared to 80 in 2023 and 63 in 2022.
ROP has started expanding the use of smart systems to monitor traffic violations, especially mobile phone use while driving, which is done by activating advanced camera systems that rely on artificial intelligence to analyze images and accurately determine the type of violation without any human intervention. These systems also enable the monitoring of traffic and the identification of congested areas and vehicles required for security purposes.
Investment in road network
The importance of the road network in Oman's challenging terrain is evident in the General Budget 2025, which allocated RO 900 million for development projects under 'development expenditure' and programmes approved within the budgets of civil ministries and government units. Of this amount, 36 per cent has been allocated to the infrastructure sector, including major road projects to be implemented and completed this year, such as the Khasab-Dibba-Lima Road, Al Sharqiyah Expressway, Adam-Thamrait Road, and the Ansab-Jafnain dualisation project.
The expansion of the Muscat Expressway will commence this year, involving the construction of three additional lanes in both directions, bringing the total number of lanes to 12, with 6 lanes in each direction, making it the widest road in the Sultanate of Oman.
