Benin: New Highway Code Ends 70 Years of Colonial-Era Legislation

Benin’s National Assembly unanimously adopted Law No. 2026-18 on October 26, 2026, introducing a 122-article Highway Code to replace a 1956 regulation. The World Health Organization estimates that about 3,200 people die on Benin’s roads each year, nearly nine a day. The new code makes 14 serious behaviors criminal offenses, including driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.8 g/l, speeding and using a phone at the wheel. It also protects sidewalks, requires cycle lanes in new road projects and makes road-safety education compulsory in schools and universities.