According to official data published by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), based on reports from the General Directorate of the State Police, 139 road accidents were recorded during August 2026. Of these events, 191 people were injured (dead or injured), marking a decrease compared to August 2025, where 159 accidents were recorded with 229 injured.
Despite the decline during the last month of summer, the overall trend for 2026 remains upward. During the period January-August 2026, the number of road accidents increased by 6.2% compared to the same period a year earlier, reaching 983 accidents with a balance of 1,378 people who lost their lives or were injured.
Main factors, driver violations, evening hours and young age
The human factor remains the main cause of road accidents. During August 2026, 86.3% of accidents occurred as a result of driver behavior, such as failure to comply with speed limits or road signs.
Analysis by age group and time zone shows that youth and evening hours bear the brunt of road accidents. Road users aged 25–34 years old have the highest number of incidents, accounting for 31.7% of total accidents.
The most problematic time of day is from 19:00 to 24:00, which recorded 20.1% of the month's accidents. Monday marked the highest number of accidents with 18.0%, while Wednesday and Friday had the lowest levels, with 11.5% each.
Geographic distribution, Tirana and Durrës lead with the highest number of events
At the regional level, Tirana continues to hold the main share of accidents nationwide. During August 2026, 33 accidents were registered in the capital with 38 injured people, while in the 8-month balance (January-August), Tirana counts 369 accidents with 457 injured people (from 270 accidents in the same period of 2025).
After Tirana, the Durrës district has recorded a significant increase during August with 24 accidents and 36 injured people (from 8 accidents in August 2025), followed by Lezha with 21 accidents. On the other hand, districts such as Berat and Dibra have not recorded any person killed or injured during August 2026.
"During the period January-August 2026, the number of road accidents increased by 6.2%, compared to the same period a year earlier," the INSTAT report states, explaining that "86.3% of road accidents occurred as a result of driver behavior."
