<p>Road traffic crashes and injuries constitute major health, economic, and developmental challenges to African countries. For its 4 per cent of the world?s motor vehicles, the fatalities on African roads exceed 10%. With further motorization, the number of road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities are expected to continue to grow. The road carnage has severe impact on the human, social and economic development. The present study intends to update the status, trends, causes, existing countermeasure, and issues in traffic safety, facing African countries. It is the hope of the author that the finding could stimulate discussion and to inform policy makers in traffic safety policy formation. The present study reviews reports published in major scientific journals in traffic safety on this significant issue.</p>