Road accidents crash economies

WINDHOEK – Road accidents pose a huge public health problem worldwide, the Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Custodia Mandlhate, said in the Namibian capital last week.

Speaking at a delayed World Health Day commemoration event on Thursday, Mandlhate said that worldwide road accidents killed between 800 000 and 1,18 million people each year, and injured and disabled 20 to 50 million people. She said this represented an average of 3 242 deaths a day, 90 per cent of which occurred in low and middle income countries in Asia and Africa.She said in Kenya economic losses as a result of road crashes rose from 1,6 per cent to five per cent of GDP between 1984 and 1991; it was estimated that Kenya lost between 26 to 52 per cent of it’s total road transport earnings to traffic crashes.The combined total annual cost of road traffic crashes is US$65 billion (approx N$425 billion) – about twice what low- and middle-income countries received in development aid, she added.Road traffic crashes cost African governments between one per cent and three per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP).”[It is] the price Africa pays for having poor or no road safety policies, poor road infrastructure, speeding, old and poorly maintained vehicles, alcohol use amongst road users and the non-use of seat belts and helmets,” she said.She said a newly launched world report contains recommendations based on extensive research and analysis by a multi-sectoral team of experts.”The recommendations include defining the burden of road traffic injuries, understanding the factors that increase risk and vulnerability designed interventions, testing interventions for effectiveness and finally widely implementing interventions,” she said.Mandlhate called on member states to come up with national road safety strategies and plans of action.She said member states also had to find ways of protecting the most vulnerable on the road such as pedestrians, children, cyclists, the elderly and the disabled.- NampaShe said this represented an average of 3 242 deaths a day, 90 per cent of which occurred in low and middle income countries in Asia and Africa.She said in Kenya economic losses as a result of road crashes rose from 1,6 per cent to five per cent of GDP between 1984 and 1991; it was estimated that Kenya lost between 26 to 52 per cent of it’s total road transport earnings to traffic crashes.The combined total annual cost of road traffic crashes is US$65 billion (approx N$425 billion) – about twice what low- and middle-income countries received in development aid, she added.Road traffic crashes cost African governments between one per cent and three per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP).”[It is] the price Africa pays for having poor or no road safety policies, poor road infrastructure, speeding, old and poorly maintained vehicles, alcohol use amongst road users and the non-use of seat belts and helmets,” she said.She said a newly launched world report contains recommendations based on extensive research and analysis by a multi-sectoral team of experts.”The recommendations include defining the burden of road traffic injuries, understanding the factors that increase risk and vulnerability designed interventions, testing interventions for effectiveness and finally widely implementing interventions,” she said.Mandlhate called on member states to come up with national road safety strategies and plans of action.She said member states also had to find ways of protecting the most vulnerable on the road such as pedestrians, children, cyclists, the elderly and the disabled.- Nampa