Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Road Traffic Accidents in Kano State from 2018 to 2023

Road traffic accidents constitute a major public health and economic burden in Kano State, North West Nigeria, where rapid urbanisation and mixed-traffic road networks combine to elevate accident frequency and severity. This study conducts a descriptive statistical analysis of road traffic accident data for Kano State from 2018 to 2023, drawing on records from the Federal Road Safety Corps Kano Sector Command. Variables analysed include accident frequency by local government area, time of day, day of week, vehicle type, cause of accident, injury severity, and fatality counts. Frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and graphical representations were used to characterise accident patterns. A total of 4,218 accidents were recorded over the study period, causing 1,103 fatalities and 8,762 injuries. Commercial motorcycles (okada) were implicated in 38 percent of accidents. Peak accident hours occurred between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Violation of speed limits was the most frequently documented cause (32 percent), followed by dangerous overtaking (24 percent) and tyre failure (18 percent). The Kano metropolitan LGA recorded the highest accident frequency. Chi-square analysis established significant associations between vehicle type and injury severity and between time of day and fatality rate. The study provides statistical evidence for targeted road safety interventions, including speed enforcement, motorcycle regulation, and road infrastructure improvement on the highest-frequency routes in Kano State. Keywords: road traffic accidents, descriptive statistics, Kano State, FRSC, injury severity