The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed deep concern about the increasing road traffic accidents in Africa urging the continent to implement comprehensive road safety policies.
This follows its recent report which highlights the increasing deaths rate in the past decade with almost 250,000 lives lost on the continent’s roads in 2021 alone.
The latest update of the WHO Status Report on Road Safety 2023 for the African region revealed that between 2010 and 2021, the region recorded a 17% increase in road-related fatalities.
According to the reports, multiple factors including inadequate road safety laws and standards contribute to the situation.
“No country in the region currently has laws that meet the best practice standards for the five key road safety behavioural risk factors: speeding, drink driving, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints,” parts of the report stated.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa notes that the findings point to a serious health concern for African Countries.
He assured WHO’s commitment to tackle what it describes as preventable threat adding that they will “continue to fully support all efforts to make our roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike”
The WHO emphasized that Africa, including Ghana, must halve road accident deaths and injuries by 2030, per the SDG Target 3.6.
These include policies that promote sustainable transportation systems, improved legislative road safety frameworks, investment in data management systems, improved post-crash response, and research tailored to the continent’s unique challenges.
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Source: Aba Aikins/ATLFMNEWS
