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UN renews call for action on road accidents in Africa

Xinhua, December 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

African governments and their multilateral partners should treat the rising burden of road accidents as a public health crisis that bodes ill for the continent's progress, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

Jean Todt, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Road Safety urged African countries to strengthen law enforcement, upgrade infrastructure and promote public awareness in order to reduce fatalities occasioned by road accidents.

"The burden of road accidents in Africa should be tackled through a multifaceted approach that includes better legislation, safer infrastructure and improved post-crash care," Todt said.

He was speaking in Nairobi during a road safety workshop for English speaking African countries attended by senior officials from multilateral agencies, policymakers and researchers.

Statistics from the UN indicate that 250,000 people in Africa lose their lives annually due to road accidents that are blamed on poor traffic management and crumbled infrastructure.

Todt regretted that deaths linked to road accidents across Sub-Saharan Africa have surpassed the ones caused by infectious diseases like HIV/Aids and malaria.

"Road safety should be a political priority in Africa since it is directly linked to achievement of several UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). Access to safe and affordable transport systems is a prerequisite to spur Africa's growth and prosperity," said Todt.

The majority of African countries have endorsed UN decade of action for road safety that calls for concerted efforts to halve the number of deaths arising from road accidents by 2020.

Todt said that behavior change among road users, better traffic management and infrastructure upgrade will help reduce the burden of road accidents in Africa that is to blame for a 5 percent loss of the continent's GDP.

"African governments should domesticate global instruments that seek to boost road safety. They should invest in data driven interventions to curb road accidents," Todt remarked.

He revealed that UN member states are considering the creation of a fund to promote road safety in the global south where the challenge is more pronounced.

African countries should invest in modern technologies to strengthen traffic management in the light of rapid motorization linked to urbanization.

The Coordinator of Urban Basic Services Branch at the UN Human Settlements Program (UNHABITAT), Andre Dzikus, said that besides policy reforms, technology adoption is key to boost road safety in African cities and rural towns.

"Better urban planning and design is key to promote road safety in African cities," Dzikus remarked, adding that mobile applications could help predict accidents in the highways. Endit