2023-05-10 19:13:19
Africa “concentrates barely two percent of the world’s car fleet” but has the highest road fatality rates in the world.
Africa is urged to “effectively” implement the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030) aimed at halving the number of road fatalities by 2030. This appeal was launched by the special envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for road safety, Jean Todt, who visited West Africa to accelerate the implementation of new mobility policies, announced theHIM.
Africa “concentrates barely two percent of the world’s car fleet”, according to the UN official. However, has the highest road fatality rates in the world, at 27 per 100,000 people, compared to the global average of 18 per 100,000 people and a European average of 9 per 100,000, according to the World Health Organisation. health (WHO).
Todt traveled to Senegal and then to Ivory Coast, two countries where the road fatality rate is 24 per 100,000 inhabitants. The cost of road accidents represents 8 percent of Senegal’s annual GDP and 7.8 percent of that of Côte d’Ivoire, according to the World Bank (WB).
Drunk driving, speed, drowsiness, negligence, failure to wear seat belts and helmets, and non-compliance with the Highway Code are the cause of the majority of road accidents. road in Africa, according to the UN. The poor state of the roads, the dilapidated state of the car fleet and public transport, false permits, the lack of enforcement of penalties and the lack of serious technical controls are also major causes of accidents.
The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach to road safety, and calls for continuous improvements in the design of cities, roads and vehicles, the strengthening of the code of the road and its respect and the prompt provision of life-saving emergency care to the injured.
It also promotes transport policies and the design of roads that allow people to walk, cycle and use public transport safely, so that these healthy and environmentally friendly modes of transport become priorities.
Dpa (German Press Agency), Africa Service
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