African action plan set to tackle road carnage and safety concerns

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African Action Plan set to tackle road carnage and safety concerns

ECA Press Release No. 135/2011

Addis Ababa, 08 November 2011 (ECA) - The Second African Road Safety Conference kicks off this week at the United Nations Conference Centre from November 9-11 to examine and validate the African Road Safety Action Plan for the coming decade. In addition, the Conference will also aim to agree a mobilization strategy to support the implementation of the Action Plan.

The Conference is being organized against a backdrop of a growing fatality rate from road traffic accidents in Africa according to the Information and Communication Service of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Backed by the first ever report on injuries caused by road accidents by the 2009 World Health Organization - Global Status Report on Road Safety – Time for Action, the Conference hopes to bring to light, the complexities surrounding the road carnage phenomenon. Among the stark issues are causes of death by injury; the devastating effect on those affected as well as on Africa’s economy.

Stephen Karingi, Director of the Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade Division at the ECA, points out that road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death by injury.

“The statistics are horrendous, he says. “Every year more than 1.2 million people die in road crashes around the world and 65 per cent of these deaths are pedestrians who do not own cars.”

In addition, according to Karingi, sixty-five percent of deaths involve pedestrians - 35% of these, are innocent children.

“This level of road carnage imposes huge economic costs – constituting about 1-3 percent of GDP in most countries.

Unfortunately, the majority of these deaths – 70% occur in developing countries,” he adds.

“Closer to us,” Karingi says, “the figures for our continent are worse.” Road crashes are the second leading cause of death for the 5 to 44 age group in African countries. In our region where 50 per cent of the population is below the age of 16, road crashes exact a heavy toll on the continent's younger members and robs Africa of its future human capital.”

“Sadly, for Africa, most of those affected by road traffic crashes are people who will never be able to afford a car – these are pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transportation.”

“Estimates suggest that the economic cost of road traffic accidents to African countries amounts to US$10 billion per year- which approaches two per cent of GNP,” he adds.

Background: The African Road Safety Action Plan 2011-2020 - is a comprehensive document containing five broad issues that will form the basis for the outcomes of the discussions: Road Safety Management; Safer Roads and Mobility; Safer Vehicles;

Safer Road Users; Post-crash Response.

At the global level, the UN General Assembly, through Resolution 64/255 of 2nd March 2010, proclaimed 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The Resolution requested WHO, the UN Regional Commissions, in cooperation with other partners and stakeholders, to prepare a plan of action for the Decade to support the implementation process.

In response to the resolution, the UN Regional Commissions, under WHO’s leadership, and in collaboration with other UN bodies and development partners prepared a Global Plan of Action that was launched on 11th May 2011 to guide national responses to implementing the Decade. African road transport and safety experts, however, content that the global plan does not necessarily address Africa’s specificities as it is global in nature.

The African Plan of Action is therefore informed by the global plan, but takes account of African perspectives. The organizers hope that this will be endorsed by African countries through the African Union Conference of Ministers in charge of Transport and will thereafter serve as the guiding document to support the implementation of the Decade 2011-2020 in Africa.

The conference is being convened by ECA; Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP); Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF); Government of Ethiopia; and International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the World Bank

Issued by:

ECA Information and Communication Service P.O. Box 3001

Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Tel: 251 11 5445098 Fax: +251-11-551 03 65 E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org Web: www.uneca.org

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