Least motorized Africa accounts highest road traffic fatality rate globally: UN agency
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The African continent, which is the least motorized region in the world, has the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world as 650 people are estimated to be killed by road accidents every day, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said on Monday.
As the African continent on Monday kicked off the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA 2019) week from November 25 to 29, the continent has been urged to tackle the growing brunt of road accidents that killed hundreds of Africans every day.
"Africa has the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world. Some 650 people are estimated to be killed by road accidents every day, yet the continent is the least motorized region, with only 2.3 percent of the world's vehicles," the ECA said in a statement issued on Monday in line with the commemoration of PIDA 2019 week.
According to figures from the ECA, at least half of the road accidents across the continent involve vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Robert Lisinge, Chief of ECA's Energy, Infrastructure and Services Section, also urged African governments "to urgently tackle the risk of road traffic deaths, including the use of new technologies for improving infrastructure and traffic management."
The ECA's energy, infrastructure and services chief also commended African transport ministers as they adopted the post-2020 continental strategy for road safety.
African Union (AU) Commission Director of Infrastructure and Energy, Cheikh Bedda, also stressed that the 55-member pan African bloc will soon convene a meeting of all African road safety ministers "to discuss the common position of the continent and action plan for the upcoming decade that will halt road traffic injuries and deaths."
That plan will be submitted during the global meeting of the Ministers of the Road Safety in February 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The overall goal of PIDA, Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, is to promote socio-economic development and poverty reduction in Africa through improved access to integrated regional and continental infrastructure networks and services.
Recent figures from the United Nations show that "unless immediate and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death in the world, resulting in an estimated 2.4 million deaths each year."
Source: Xinhuanet
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