By Sharon Atieno
Despite a global decrease, road traffic deaths and injuries continue to pose a significant challenge in Africa, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report says.
According to the Status report on road safety in the WHO African region, the number of deaths between 2010 and 2021 rose by 17% from around 192 000 to about 250 000. This has left the region off track in achieving the sustainable development goal (SDG) of halving deaths by 2030.
Notably, the region holds the highest fatality rate in the world, at almost 20 deaths per 100 000 people, with substantial variations among countries. While some report a low rate of seven per 100 000 people, at least 24 countries have rates higher than the regional average.
The report notes that the most vulnerable road users accounted for half of these deaths including pedestrians, cyclists and users of two- and three- wheeler vehicles. With 33 out of 100 deaths, the region accounts for the highest proportion of pedestrian road traffic fatalities. Four-wheeler fatalities remain higher than the global average.
Another key finding is that no country in the region has national laws that meet best practices in all five key road safety behavioural risk factors that increase the vulnerability of people to serious injuries and deaths. These include speeding, drink driving and non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraints.
Despite 29 countries having legislation specifying requirements and standards for core safety equipment in vehicles, the report finds that none of the laws include pedestrian protection safety features in vehicles. Moreover, 16 countries have no legislation on vehicle safety at all.
The report notes that the region has about 666 000km of paved roads but only 1.45km have a three-star or higher rating for pedestrians, 2.11km for powered two-and three-wheelers, 2.68 km for cyclists and 3.74 km for passenger vehicles. A three-star rating is the minimum acceptable rating for new and existing roads.
Few countries have made progress to establish transport systems that cater to alternate modes of transport, that have proved to be more equitable, environmentally-friendly and safer for road users such as bicycles, motorcycles or pedestrians, as well as efficient public transport.
Currently, Africa is one of the fastest growing markets for used vehicles. Since the 2013 Global Status report, total vehicle registration has almost doubled, while two- and three-wheel vehicle registration has tripled. Only 13 countries have national strategies to promote walking and cycling.
Although there has been progress to introduce laws governing safety equipment in vehicles, pedestrian protection remains largely unaddressed. Additionally, road infrastructure safety ratings are notably low, with only a small percentage meeting acceptable standards for various road users, the report found.
Currently, most road traffic data systems in Africa capture only road-related deaths, excluding information about injuries and their severity, including medium- and long-term consequences such as disability.
Post-crash care services in the region are also inadequate or unavailable in most countries. Less than one in three countries have services that meet recommended levels of access to pre-hospital care, emergency care, and treatment and rehabilitation services.
The report also found that most countries-35- in the region have a national strategy for road safety, however, only 21 of them have specific targets for reducing road traffic fatalities.
To address these challenges, WHO recommends concerted efforts to implement a range of interventions to strengthen national road safety strategies in Africa. 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.
“The report on road safety 2023 for the African Region is a call to action and a reminder of the urgent need to prioritize road safety as a fundamental human right,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa noted in the Foreword.
