Afrigather Brazzaville/Nairobi – Highway visitors demise charges prior to now decade have elevated considerably within the African area, with nearly 250 000 lives misplaced on the continent’s roads in 2021 alone. Conversely, international charges fell by 5% throughout the identical interval, a brand new World Well being Group (WHO) report reveals.
Between 2010 and 2021, the area recorded a 17% improve in road-related fatalities, in keeping with the WHO Standing report on street security 2023 for the African area – the most recent replace. The area accounts for almost one-fifth of all street deaths globally, regardless of being residence to solely 15% of the world’s inhabitants, and three% of its automobiles.
The report attributes the rise to a number of components, together with insufficient street security legal guidelines and requirements. No nation within the area at present has legal guidelines that meet the very best observe requirements for the 5 key street security behavioural threat components: rushing, drink driving, non-use of bike helmets, seatbelts and youngster restraints.
“The findings of this report level to a severe public well being concern for African nations, with lots of of hundreds of lives being misplaced unnecessarily. As WHO, we’re dedicated to working hand in hand with nations to sort out this preventable risk and proceed to totally help all efforts to make our roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike,” stated Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
In keeping with the report, males aged between 15 and 64 years are the principle victims of street visitors crashes. Weak street customers reminiscent of motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians are worst affected, with road-related deaths of motorcyclists doubling prior to now 10 years.
Few nations have made progress to determine transport techniques that cater to alternate modes of transport, reminiscent of bicycles, bikes or pedestrians, in addition to environment friendly public transport. These so-called multimodal transport techniques have been decided to be extra equitable and environmentally-friendly, and safer for street customers.
Presently, Africa is likely one of the quickest rising markets for used automobiles. Because the 2013 Standing report, complete car registration has nearly doubled, whereas two- and three-wheel car registration has tripled. Solely 13 nations have nationwide methods to advertise strolling and biking.
Though there was progress to introduce legal guidelines governing security tools in automobiles, pedestrian safety stays largely unaddressed. Moreover, street infrastructure security scores are notably low, with solely a small proportion assembly acceptable requirements for varied street customers, the report discovered.
WHO is working with nations to strengthen the important thing street security pillars, by advocacy, technical help, awareness-raising and coaching. This improved the capability of nations, like Zambia, to gather and report street visitors deaths information.
Presently, most street visitors information techniques in Africa seize solely road-related deaths, excluding details about accidents and their severity, together with medium- and long-term penalties reminiscent of incapacity. Submit-crash care companies within the area are additionally insufficient or unavailable in most nations; fewer than one-third have companies that meet really helpful ranges of entry to pre-hospital care, emergency care, and remedy and rehabilitation companies.
To realize the United Nations Normal Meeting goal of halving the worldwide variety of deaths and accidents from street visitors crashes by 2030, WHO recommends concerted efforts to implement a spread of interventions to strengthen nationwide street security methods in Africa. These embody insurance policies that promote sustainable transportation techniques, improved legislative street security frameworks, funding in information administration techniques, improved post-crash response, and analysis tailor-made to the continent’s distinctive challenges.
