Jordan's dangerous drivers are killing its youth

Twenty-three people were injured in vehicle collisions in Jordan on Saturday, providing an insight into the shocking reality of road safety in the Arab kingdom.

Jordan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for road safety, with one of the highest rates of traffic accidents involving fatalities and injuries.

Last month, a bus crashed on the main road to the northern city of Irbid, killing six people and seriously injuring another 37.

A quick Google search for 'Irbid bus accident' quickly reveals the mundanity of this accident, however.

There were a total number of 10,600 road accidents recorded in 2015, according to the country's Ministry of Transport.

From those accidents, 608 people were reported killed and nearly 16,800 were injured.

This means that one person is killed in a traffic accident every thirteen hours.

According to a 2013 review of road traffic deaths in Jordan, the leading cause of death is speeding in pedestrianised areas.

The research points out that predominantly young men are being hit by speeding cars as they try to cross the road.

Road safety is improving however, albeit slowly. There was a total of 688 fatalities recorded in 2014, equating to an approximate 12 percent drop year-on-year in 2015.

Nearly 80 percent of road accidents occur on motorways, including the desert highway, the Dead Sea's Adassiyeh Road, the Irbid-Amman route, and the Azraq road.