Programme to strengthen road safety and improve efficiency launched
The National Road Safety Council of Namibia in collaboration with the Global Road Safety Partnership, recently launched the Namibian Road Safety Programme.
The programme, which is supported by FedEx Corp. boosts road safety awareness among the commercial vehicle sector in Namibia.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Works and Transport, Hon. Alpheus !Naruseb. said about 19,000 accidents are recorded each year resulting in over 700 fatalities with 7333 more road users left with varying degrees of injuries.
“These figures translates into one life lost everyday of the year. In relation to road safety risk, Namibia’s record stands at about 33 fatalities per hundred thousand inhabitants,” he added.
Despite Namibia receiving accolades for a world class road infrastructure, the minister said road safety remains a concern for the government, especially considering that accidents are preventable.
Meanwhile, !Naruseb called on road users to change their attitude and behaviour on the roads to make a difference.
The Global Road Safety Facility, a global partnership program administered by the World Bank, was established in 2006 to help address the growing crisis of road traffic deaths and injuries in low and middle-income countries.
The facility provides funding, knowledge, and technical assistance designed to scale up the efforts of low and middle income countries to build their scientific, technological and managerial capacities.
Caption: Mike Higley – Vice President, FedEx Express Southern Africa , Hon. Deputy Minister Sankwasa, James Sankwasa, Dave Cliff – CEO: Global Road Safety Partnership, Pieter Venter – Global Road Safety Partnership – Africa Coordinator; Eliphas !Owos-Oab: Namibia Road Safety Council Chairperson.
