Editorial
Road safety and development
For several years now, Isted
has been implementing a support programme for the Directorates of Land
Transport in several countries of Western and Central Africa. One of
the main components of this programme is the improvement of road safety.
The interest shown in this action by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs
and Public Works is greatly appreciated as road hazard has a dramatic
impact on the development process.
At the last PIARC World Road Congress*, safety issues were a focus of
attention and some disturbing facts were highlighted.
Every year throughout the world, 700,000 people are killed in road accidents,
but the death rate in the developing countries is proportionally far
greater than in the developed countries - 5 to 10 times higher.
These accidents take a heavy toll on young people, which is obviously
disastrous for new countries. The consequences are just as dramatic
for the injured, who besides the suffering they endure, have to negotiate
a gruelling obstacle course to get community care.
In countries with the highest car ownership, everyone has a high risk
of at least 50% of being injured in a road accident at some time during
his life. The outlook is consequently gloomy for developing countries
where car ownership is set to increase sharply.
Although road risks are greater than in the other transport modes (rail
or air), road transport of people and goods is the most popular mode
and will always be a sine qua non for development. The eradication of
road hazard is thus a real strategic challenge.
Isted contributes to this action by training people and by strengthening
the expertise of partner countries' policy-makers in accident recording
and analysis, driver training, accident prevention and awareness-raising.
Isted's build-up of first-hand experience is a valuable asset in our
continuing benchmark cooperation in this strategic area.
Michel Henry,
Director, Egis Group
*(The 21st edition of the
Congress of the World Road Association (PIARC) was held from 3 to 9
October in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Contents
- Road safety and development
- Feature: French development aid
in Sub-Saharan Africa: road safety issues
The entire African continent is in the throes of galloping, uncontrolled
urbanization. This phenomenon cannot be dissociated from increasingly
heavy, chaotic traffic and an upsurge in the number and severity
of accidents. To combat this scourge, road safety measures have
been implemented right from the beginning of the 1990s.
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