Hong Kong fatal traffic accidents rise 44% in first half of 2026, with 63 dead

Many cases involved elderly victims and older drivers, police say, while calling for tighter health requirements for motorists

Hong Kong recorded a 44 per cent year-on-year increase in fatal traffic accidents in the first half of 2026, with many cases involving elderly victims and older drivers, police said, adding that they supported tighter health check requirements for motorists.

Police said on Wednesday that the city recorded 59 fatal traffic accidents in the first half of this year, up from 41 in the same period in 2025, while the number of victims rose from 43 to 63.

This rise in deaths stood in contrast to the number of accidents involving injuries, which fell 17 per cent to 7,341 cases, with the number of the injured also down by 20 per cent to 9,055.

Of 59 fatal cases, 41 involved commercial vehicles, with 39 per cent of these vehicles being steered by drivers aged 65 or above.

“The main cause of these accidents was inattentive driving, while some others were attributed to the physical conditions of the drivers at the time of the accident,” said Au Ngai-faat, a senior inspector at the force’s road safety unit.

“With the population ageing, there will be more aged drivers. Police are supportive of the legislative amendment to tighten driver health check requirements.”

Authorities had proposed to the Legislative Council to reduce the age threshold for mandatory medical certification for commercial drivers from 70 to 65.