Gambia: Good Morning Mr. President - It's High Time to Improve Road Safety

16 January 2023
The Point (Banjul)
column

Mr. President, with the improvement of Road Safety, there should be high-level commitment from all members of government and parliament to set up a lead agency for Road Safety with legal backing and financial resources to coordinate road infrastructure.

We need safer roads, safer vehicles, safer road users, emergency post care, and responsive services.

Mr. President, there is a need to implement an age limit for vehicles imported into the country. Vehicles should be at least (not at most?) 10 years and trucks 15 years.

There should be vehicle inspection and testing centres in all the capitals of the seven regions of the country.

The traffic police should control pollution from vehicles on our roads. Strict measures should be taken on drivers whose vehicles cause pollution because of the health complications such pollution can pose.

Mr. President, there should be a policy to be enacted for insurance companies to take care of accident victims; not only the vehicles but also the victims themselves.

Mr. President, our commercial vehicles should limit the number of passengers they carry and baggage limit should be introduced.

Enforcement of speed limits on our roads, especially in built-up areas, should not be more than 30kms per hour and not more than 60kms in shrunk roads.

Mr. President, there is a need for proper lighting of road signs, filling of potholes and proper road marking.

Laws against main risk factors like usage of mobile phones, failing to use seat belts and helmets, over-speeding, and drunk driving, should be enforced.

There should be rigorous sensitization and Road Safety campaigns across the country.

The government should establish a proper system for issuance of driving licence and also to regularise activities in driving schools.

Mr. President, 121 people die every year in the Gambia on average as a result of road crashes. In 2021 alone, 155 died, official sources said.

The WHO has reported every year that in the world, 1.3 million people lose their lives in car accidents. Accident is the 5th killer in the world and No1 killer for children aged between 5 and 29 years. It is estimated that for developing countries like The Gambia, road crashes cost our economy 2 to 3% of GDP (62.4 million US dollars).

In 2021 the GDP was estimated to be 2.08 billion US dollars, World Bank data revealed.

Good day!

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