Road woes: In the valley of the shadow of death...

As we get into the merrymaking mood that invariably comes with the festive season, it is worth reminding road users to be on the extra-alert. For, it is at this time – more than at any other – when the devil lurks on highways, ready to ‘prey’ on unwary motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and, yes: pedestrians, including especially jaywalkers!

If the latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is anything to go by, then blessed is the man (and woman, to be politically-correct) who finds no joy in the company of adrenalin junkies – nor sits in the seat of the fast and furious; but his (her) delight is soberness and reason.

According to the WHO 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety, at least one person somewhere in this wide wild world dies in a road accident every 24 seconds. Take this, if you care, to mean that before you are done with reading the next two paragraphs, there will be wailing in many parts of the world as road accidents claim human lives. Scary numbers, right? Right!

The WHO Report – which was released last Friday, and is based on data dating back to 2016 – also notes that a total of 1.35 million traffic deaths occur around the world each year. And, for some reason or another, the death rate in Africa is particularly high. It is in this part of the world that there are 26.6 road traffic deaths annually for every 100,000 population – compared with only 9.3 deaths/100,000 in Europe.

This could mean that we in Africa are more exposed to road risks than people anywhere else in the world – thanks perhaps to poor roads and related infrastructure, compounded by vehicles which are not roadworthy, as well as incompetent, careless and/or ‘drunk-driving.’

Perhaps the saddest part of the WHO report is the revelation that road traffic injuries are now the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years… And, that: more people in this day and age die as a result of road traffic injuries than from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis or diarrhoeal diseases.

Certainly, the report is a timely reminder on road safety, coming as it does at the ‘dawn’ of the festive season, which in Tanzania and many parts of the world, tends to be among the bloodiest periods on roads.

In many cases, the accidents result from human error.

Interestingly enough, there has been special reference to the cases of motorcyclists and pedestrians this time round.

According to WHO, the more vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – represent more than a half of all global deaths from road accidents. Pedestrians and cyclists represent 26 per cent of all the deaths, while those using motorised two- and three-wheelers comprise another 28 per cent.

In a nutshell: the Global Status Report on Road Safety-2018 highlights a few things that are in need of critical attention, especially now as we prepare to go through the festive season.

The United Nation’s global Health body urges the relevant authorities to enact and enforce legislation on key behavioural risk factors as critical components of an integrated strategy to prevent road traffic deaths.

The risk factors include – but are not limited to – over-speeding on roads; drink-driving; failing to use seat-belts and child restraints in motor vehicles, as well as helmets by motorcyclists.

Also, controlling road speeds will reduce the risk of a crash and the severity of injuries – or the likelihood of death resulting from that crash. This one is for the authorities and motorists themselves to seriously mull over.

WHO estimates that 5-to-35 per cent of all road deaths are alcohol-related.

This seems obvious enough. However, it still has to be said repeatedly that driving after drinking alcohol significantly increases the risk of a road crash – and the severity of that crash.

Unfortunately, road traffic law enforcement agencies in Tanzania reportedly lack the right equipment with which to accurately test drivers for blood/alcohol concentration (BAC). In other words, this is one of the ‘Kawaida’ issues on our dangerous roads: ‘business as usual...’

If I say so myself, I have been driving cars for 10 years now, and have made more than 80 day and night trips on the 927-km stretch of road from Dar es Salaam to Tunduma on the Tanzania-Zambia border.

I don’t recall a single case when I was stopped by road traffic police officials seeking to test me for blood/alcohol concentration. For what it’s worth, it must be said that these officials are good at ambushing over-speeding motorists.

Having said this, I also say that we must strive to stay safe on our roads at all times – and, especially, during these trying festive times. Otherwise, we surely don’t want our roads to remain valleys of the shadow of death!

Daniel Muhau is International Desk and OP-Eds Editor for The Citizen