The objective of this paper is to determine the epidemiological profile and risk factors of traffic accidents in Tunisia in order to set up a national management strategy. We undertook a descriptive study, including all road accidents occurring throughout the entire territory of Tunisia during three consecutive years from 1996–1998. We studied a representative sample of 1,000 cases from the global database. The majority of accidents took place in large cities. Accidents in urban areas were four times more frequent than in the country; however, accidents occurring in rural areas led to eight time more deaths than in cities. Persons involved in road crashes were young, with an average age of 33.6 years. About 62% of the drivers were between 20 and 40 years old. Pedestrians were the most vulnerable type of road users, especially children and the elderly. Drivers' mistakes were inattention in 41.4% of accidents, followed by speed excess, and the disrespect of priority in 14.1% and 9.7% of cases, respectively. Inattention while crossing the street was the most frequent mistake of pedestrians (71%). Drivers used private vehicles in 50% of cases and motorcycles in second instances. The human factor was involved in 99% of traffic accidents, the environment in 9.3%, and vehicles in 4% of road accidents. We concluded that a national program of traffic accident prevention based on the education of young drivers is necessary to remedy this increasing public heath concern.