Cutting African road deaths with better safety measures

Using better safety measures will help cutting African road deaths.
By MJ Woof March 16, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Africa’s rural roads present different safety hazards – image © courtesy of Mike Woof

A partnership programme administered by the World Bank is aiming to cut road deaths worldwide. The Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) is a global multi-donor fund aimed at helping governments develop road safety management capacity and scale up road safety delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

As part of an agreement with the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), Total Foundation says it will be supporting the African Road Safety Observatory by helping to implement a range of training programs targeting different local stakeholders.

The project is intended to help countries like Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda analyse available data to identify issues and deliver road safety strategies.

This is an important move and according to the Total Foundation, According to the World Health Organization’s latest report, Africa remains the region with the highest road-accident fatality rate in the world. Road crashes are the number one cause of death among young people aged 5-29.

The African Road Safety Observatory (ARSO) was established in 2018 as part of the projects supported by the FIA High Level Panel, whose members include Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total.

The Observatory’s mission is to encourage a coordinated effort on the part of African countries to ensure greater road safety. In particular, it aims to collect, analyse and share data to provide a better understanding of the risk factors and to develop effective solutions for reducing the number of accidents across the continent.

Training programmes offered by the GRSF will aim to improve the understanding of the challenges faced, as well as strengthen the skills and commitment of all stakeholders, to support the use of data collection and analysis tools on the ground. The goal is to enable decision-making based on reliable information, while fostering collaboration across the continent.

According to the GRSF, this is a key issue to be tackled. Africa’s losses and suffering from road crashes are more serious than for any other continent. In Africa there are over 26 road death/100,000 people/year. This compares with a global average of 18/100,000. The world’s best performing countries have less than 3 deaths/100,000. This is not only a human and social disaster, it also slows down economic growth in African countries.

Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Brazil’s roads most dangerous in South America?
    November 24, 2016
    Brazil has South America’s most dangerous roads. That is the key finding from research carried out by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). Its study shows that the country’s road death rate is a major cause for concern, accounting for over 40,000 fatalities in 2013 for example. With the country’s population estimated at over 200 million in 2013, this suggests a fatality rate of 20/100,000 of population. The research shows that speeding, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, non-use of seatb
    Read More
  • Building Industry Partnerships – IRF Regional Congress
    December 21, 2017
    The highly successful IRF Middle East & North Africa Regional Congress has set foundations for knowledge partnerships The premier road engineering and mobility event in 2017 came to a close with a renewed call for consensus-building and knowledge partnerships to address key sustainability and mobility challenges. More than 200 papers were presented by authors from 50 countries, representing an enormous body of knowledge for policymakers and transportation stakeholders to work with. The Congress was also
    Read More
  • Building Industry Partnerships – IRF Regional Congress
    December 21, 2017
    The highly successful IRF Middle East & North Africa Regional Congress has set foundations for knowledge partnerships The premier road engineering and mobility event in 2017 came to a close with a renewed call for consensus-building and knowledge partnerships to address key sustainability and mobility challenges. More than 200 papers were presented by authors from 50 countries, representing an enormous body of knowledge for policymakers and transportation stakeholders to work with. The Congress was also
    Read More
  • Rubber recycling for South African roads
    November 5, 2012
    South Africa takes crumb rubber use to the next level - *Anders Marschall Jensen The preservation of the environment is a global concept, and in the road construction industry, it is all about preservation of roads. In earlier days, roads were built with the primary goal of moving passenger traffic from one place to another, but these days, roads are very different. Not only is there passenger traffic, and more of it, but roads must also deal with extensive movement of products in heavy vehicles. Therefore,
    Read More

Highlighted Content