Addis Ababa (AFP) – Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects -- unsafe habits, speeding and drinking -- but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars.
Issued on: 02/10/2024 -
A bus veered off the Queen Elizabeth bridge in Johannesburg in February 2015 © MUJAHID SAFODIEN / AFP
As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts.
But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services.
A recent World Health Organisation report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia -- which recorded the most road deaths -- with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021.
Home to only around four percent of the world's automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year.
"What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa," said Jean Todt, a former head of the International Automobile Federation and now the United Nations(UN) special envoy for road safety.
As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts.
But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services.
A recent World Health Organisation report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia -- which recorded the most road deaths -- with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021.
Home to only around four percent of the world's automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year.
"What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa," said Jean Todt, a former head of the International Automobile Federation and now the United Nations(UN) special envoy for road safety.
Attempts at change failed after a deadly Senegal crash in 2023 © Ousseynou Diop / AFPThe continent is the only region where road deaths increased between 2010 and 2021 -- up 17 percent to 226,100. The spike was seen in more than half of Africa's countries (28 out of 54).
The biggest victims are pedestrians, accounting for a third of fatalities due to a lack of adequate pavements, compared to 21 percent worldwide.
"We need to have better designed streets with sidewalks, adequate signage and pedestrian lanes, particularly around schools," Todt said.
He also bemoaned the shortage of public transport for the rapidly urbanising continent.
Urban planning is also at fault.
"Many African countries continue to design their infrastructure for motor vehicles and not for individuals, and without safety being the main concern," said Haileyesus Adamtei, a transport expert at the World Bank.
'Never been implemented'
One major culprit is the quality of the cars plying Africa's roads, with many more than 15 years old, according to the UN Road Safety Fund.
A transport ministry spokesperson in Senegal told AFP that faulty brakes and worn tires were common -- and often deadly.
"The dilapidated state of vehicles is a major factor in the lack of safety," the spokesperson said.
The West African country introduced a raft of new rules after a head-on crash between two night buses in January 2023 killed 40 people.
A relative mourns the 45 victims of a bus accident in Botswana in May © Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP
"But most have never been implemented," the ministry spokesperson admitted.
Some rules, such as a ban on loading luggage on the roof of buses, which could unbalance the vehicle, were fiercely opposed by operators.
It does not help that drivers can often get a licence with only perfunctory lessons and testing -- often avoided altogether with a bribe.
Corruption also means that permissive law enforcement often sweeps many road safety violations under the carpet.
The UN has called for a "decade of action" to halve the number of road deaths by 2030.
Todt insists the aim is achievable and should top government agendas.
"Beyond the human tragedy, road crashes are also a major cause of slowdown in the development of a country, costing on average four to five percent of GDP, sometimes much more in Africa," he said.
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© 2024 AFP
"But most have never been implemented," the ministry spokesperson admitted.
Some rules, such as a ban on loading luggage on the roof of buses, which could unbalance the vehicle, were fiercely opposed by operators.
It does not help that drivers can often get a licence with only perfunctory lessons and testing -- often avoided altogether with a bribe.
Corruption also means that permissive law enforcement often sweeps many road safety violations under the carpet.
The UN has called for a "decade of action" to halve the number of road deaths by 2030.
Todt insists the aim is achievable and should top government agendas.
"Beyond the human tragedy, road crashes are also a major cause of slowdown in the development of a country, costing on average four to five percent of GDP, sometimes much more in Africa," he said.
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© 2024 AFP
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Why are Thailand's roads so deadly?
Bangkok (AFP) – A horrifying fire on a Thai school bus this week that killed at least 23 people, most of them children, underscores how the kingdom's roads are some of the deadliest in the world.
Issued on: 02/10/2024 -
How bad is it?
Around 20,000 people are killed every year on Thailand's roads -- an average of more than 50 a day.
This means Thailand has the second-deadliest roads in Asia after Nepal, and ranks 16th in the world for traffic mortality, alongside Chad and Guinea-Bissau, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
There were 25.7 deaths due to traffic injuries per 100,000 people in 2021 in Thailand, compared with a global average of 15.
Road safety watchdog Thai RSC says that already this year there have been more than 10,000 fatalities and 600,000 injuries on the country's roads.
More than four out of five deaths involve motorbikes, the RSC says, compared with a global average of one out of five.
Accident rates and deaths soar around major celebrations such as New Year and Songkran, the annual Thai water festival.
In 2021, the WHO said traffic-related incidents accounted for nearly a third of all deaths in Thailand. About three-quarters of those killed were male.
The economic losses caused by traffic deaths and injuries amounted to around $15.5 billion in 2022 the WHO says -- equivalent to more than three percent of the country's GDP.
- Why is it so bad? -
Speeding, drink driving, poor road design and unsafe vehicles all contribute to the problem
Bangkok (AFP) – A horrifying fire on a Thai school bus this week that killed at least 23 people, most of them children, underscores how the kingdom's roads are some of the deadliest in the world.
Issued on: 02/10/2024 -
A fire that ripped through a Thai school bus killing at least 23 people, underscores how deadly the kingdom's roads are © Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP
AFP looks at the poor safety record, why there are so many deaths and what the Thai government is doing about it.
AFP looks at the poor safety record, why there are so many deaths and what the Thai government is doing about it.
How bad is it?
Around 20,000 people are killed every year on Thailand's roads -- an average of more than 50 a day.
This means Thailand has the second-deadliest roads in Asia after Nepal, and ranks 16th in the world for traffic mortality, alongside Chad and Guinea-Bissau, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
There were 25.7 deaths due to traffic injuries per 100,000 people in 2021 in Thailand, compared with a global average of 15.
Road safety watchdog Thai RSC says that already this year there have been more than 10,000 fatalities and 600,000 injuries on the country's roads.
More than four out of five deaths involve motorbikes, the RSC says, compared with a global average of one out of five.
Accident rates and deaths soar around major celebrations such as New Year and Songkran, the annual Thai water festival.
In 2021, the WHO said traffic-related incidents accounted for nearly a third of all deaths in Thailand. About three-quarters of those killed were male.
The economic losses caused by traffic deaths and injuries amounted to around $15.5 billion in 2022 the WHO says -- equivalent to more than three percent of the country's GDP.
- Why is it so bad? -
Speeding, drink driving, poor road design and unsafe vehicles all contribute to the problem
.
Around 20,000 people are killed every year on Thailand's roads -- an average of more than 50 a day
© Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP/File
Enforcement of safety rules has long been undermined by a culture of low-ranking traffic cops taking bribes to turn a blind eye to infractions such as speeding or motorcyclists not wearing helmets.
Vehicle safety checks have also been weakened by graft.
Last month, local media reported that two highway officials had been arrested on allegations of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to allow unsafe overloaded trucks to pass checks to use the roads.
In Bangkok and other cities, motorbikes and mopeds weave in and out of heavy traffic, but helmet-wearing is lax.
While hospitals in Thailand are generally good, in rural areas they are spread out and often less well-equipped than city facilities.
Anyone involved in an accident on one of the countless narrow country roads snaking through steep jungle-clad hillsides could find themselves waiting a long time for emergency services to arrive.
- What is being done about it? -
The country has set a five-year National Master Plan on Road Safety which aims to slash the road mortality rate to 12 per 100,000 by 2027 -- which would equate to fewer than 8,500 deaths per year.
Enforcement of safety rules has long been undermined by a culture of low-ranking traffic cops taking bribes to turn a blind eye to infractions such as speeding or motorcyclists not wearing helmets.
Vehicle safety checks have also been weakened by graft.
Last month, local media reported that two highway officials had been arrested on allegations of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to allow unsafe overloaded trucks to pass checks to use the roads.
In Bangkok and other cities, motorbikes and mopeds weave in and out of heavy traffic, but helmet-wearing is lax.
While hospitals in Thailand are generally good, in rural areas they are spread out and often less well-equipped than city facilities.
Anyone involved in an accident on one of the countless narrow country roads snaking through steep jungle-clad hillsides could find themselves waiting a long time for emergency services to arrive.
- What is being done about it? -
The country has set a five-year National Master Plan on Road Safety which aims to slash the road mortality rate to 12 per 100,000 by 2027 -- which would equate to fewer than 8,500 deaths per year.
In Bangkok and other cities, motorbikes and mopeds weave in and out of heavy traffic, but helmet-wearing is lax
© MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP/File
Police regularly mount drives to encourage helmet-wearing and to catch drink drivers, particularly around around major festivals.
Thai RSC oversees road safety and raises public awareness to reduce road accidents, including pushing for helmet use on motorbikes and mopeds.
There have been efforts to tackle poorly lit roads, with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt last year vowing to make the capital's streets brighter by replacing streetlamp bulbs with newer LEDs.
And there has been some improvement -- Thailand's road mortality rate fell from 39 per 100,000 people in 2000, a relative decline of 17 percent, according to WHO data.
© 2024 AFP
Police regularly mount drives to encourage helmet-wearing and to catch drink drivers, particularly around around major festivals.
Thai RSC oversees road safety and raises public awareness to reduce road accidents, including pushing for helmet use on motorbikes and mopeds.
There have been efforts to tackle poorly lit roads, with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt last year vowing to make the capital's streets brighter by replacing streetlamp bulbs with newer LEDs.
And there has been some improvement -- Thailand's road mortality rate fell from 39 per 100,000 people in 2000, a relative decline of 17 percent, according to WHO data.
© 2024 AFP
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