Road safety key to achieving SDGs

Lazarus Sauti

Delivering his keynote speech recently at the Tana High-level Forum on Security in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, former United Nations (UN) secretary-general and a Nobel laureate Kofi Annan said, “Today, and despite a few egregious exceptions, armed conflict is actually a smaller risk to Africans than traffic accidents.”

What a naked truth.

The African region, according to the World Health Organisation’s Global Status Report on Road Safety (2015), has the highest road traffic fatality rate and almost of all road traffic deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Sadly, most of these accidents are caused by human errors, a fact supported by Avi Silverman, senior adviser at Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (Fia) Foundation – an independent UK registered road safety charity.

“Road crashes are a ‘man-made epidemic’ that accounts for more than 1.2 million deaths a year, the vast majority – a 90 percent – in developing countries,” he said.

In Zimbabwe, according to statistics gleaned from the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (Zimstat), most accidents are caused by human errors’.

“Most road traffic collisions are a direct result of human error,” said Zimstat, adding that widespread disregard for rules coupled with lack of competency by motorists fuel chaos and traffic offences on the country’s roads.

The WHO also said more than 1.25 million people worldwide lose their lives in road crashes, most of which are preventable.

“Of this, more than 20 percent are children aged 18 and below, earning road traffic fatalities a place at the top there with HIV/Aids and tropical diseases as one of the deadliest culprits behind untimely deaths,” added the WHO.

Since children aged 18 and below are mostly affected by traffic-related accidents, the world is consequently losing a significant proportion of a future adult generation that is supposed to play a role in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and targets.

Zimbabwe, just like any other African country, is in a fix as it is one of the nations with the youngest population in the world.

Policy decision makers and key stakeholders in health, road and safety sectors in the country and other developing countries should therefore join hands and ramp-up efforts to ensure health lives, promote well-being for all ages as well as stabilise and halve deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.

“We cannot dispute the fact that there is a strong relationship between road safety and sustainable development. 

“Accordingly, Zimbabwe needs to adopt inclusive safety programmes that stabilise and reduce traffic-related accidents,” said Allowance Sango, Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe board member.

He also said to calm down road accidents, the country is working towards adopting a five-pillar plan comprising safer roads, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response along with improved management capacity among national agencies.

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development deputy Minister Engineer Michael Madanha said the cost of road traffic accidents and injuries is felt in the consequences for national development.

He thus said his ministry and partners in health as well as road and safety segments are working flat out to improve road safety in the country.

“Improved road safety, without doubt, contributes to broader health outcomes such as addressing non-communicable diseases. As a result, we are working hard to improve our roads to enhance socio-economic transformation in the country,” he said.

To support the attainment of SDGs, adds Engineer Madanha, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is working on a master plan to implement vehicle safety standards and ensure that all new motor vehicles meet applicable minimum regulations for the protection of occupants and other road users, with seat belts, airbags and active safety systems fitted as standard equipment.

Cities and countries in the developing world, asserts the WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities, which is part of the United Nations Global Road Safety Collaboration, should also embrace comprehensive safety policies that heighten the role of public transport, walking and cycling.

“These policies can make roads safer for all, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and those with disabilities,” read a statement from WRI Ross Centre.

FIA director general Saul Billingsley believes global initiatives like the International Road Assessment Programme’s (IRAP) star rating system are also instrumental in reducing road accidents and achieving sustainable development goals.

“The IRAP system rates roads on how safe they are for users, and crucially everyone from truck drivers to pedestrians is included and it also proposes measures to improve safety, and advises that these should be built into the design of new and upgraded roads from the start,” said Billingsley, adding that the system promotes road designs with pavements and safe crossing places to physically separate people and vehicles.

However, there is need for enough political will and finance if countries like Zimbabwe are to “stabilise and reduce” accidents along with achieving sustainable development goals, according to President Robert Mugabe and UN Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt.

Noting the devastating human and financial cost of road traffic injuries and fatalities, Todt said, “We need greater financial commitment for this issue.”

He also highlighted the need to improve vehicle safety.

“Why do we continue to build vehicles in some countries which continue to fail to meet fundamental safety standards?” he asked.

In his statement at the UN General Assembly High Level Thematic Debate on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: New York 21 April 2016, President Mugabe also said political will and financial resources are ingredients needed to “stabilise and reduce” accidents as well as attain SDGs.

Therefore, he urged global partners: governments, the private sector, civil society and the UN system to cooperate to achieve peace, prosperity and human progress which underpin the SDGs.

“Let the constructive spirit of partnership and cooperation, espoused in Sustainable Development Goal Number 17, guide relationships between our countries, in mutual efforts to achieve peace, prosperity and human progress which underpin the SDGs,” he said.

For that reason, the Government – as the biggest stakeholder, private sector players, regional as well as global partners and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe – as the principal agent in promoting traffic safety should work together and share knowledge, expertise, technology as well as financial resources to support the achievement of SDGs, especially goal 3.6 and goal 11.2 respectively.

SDG goal 3 aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” and SDG target 3.6 specifically aims “by 2020, to halve global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.”

Significantly, the stand-alone road safety target is lined up alongside other major priorities including maternal and under-5 mortality, AIDS and universal health coverage.

More so, SDG goal 11 seeks to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

Under goal 11, target 2 endeavours “by 2030, to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.”