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Africa Road Safety Day

The 18th African Union Summit, held in January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, (Decision EX.CL/Dec.682 (XX) endorsed the conclusions of the Second Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Transport (CAMT) held in Luanda, Angola in November 2011 which, among others, adopted the third Sunday of November, which is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims as Africa’s Road Safety Day.

The establishment of this day is a pivotal instrument for the African States in their ongoing struggle against road traffic accidents. This day honors the victims of traffic accidents by providing an opportunity to raise public awareness regarding the burden of road traffic collisions on victims and communities and emphasizes the need to initiate and promote efforts to control road carnage as a major public health and development problem and to assist victims.

The National Road Safety Council, stakeholders, and leaders in areas of Road Safety joined the rest of the world in commemorating Africa Road Safety Day on the 19th of November 2021 in Windhoek.

Eugene Tendekule, NRSC Executive Secretary, stated in his welcoming remarks that the event brings together Namibians and global citizens to assess road safety activities and reflect on the lives lost and the impact of those losses on our social strata as well as Namibia's economic performance. “Commemorating the lives of the dear ones whose lives were cut short on account of road crashes should be looked at as a noble gesture in the sense that it gives us an opportunity to show empathy and in a way to mourn with those who are severely affected.”

He further stressed the need for collaborative efforts between Namibia's road safety community and the Namibian people in order to realise NRSC's vision of Zero Deaths and Serious Injuries.

In a short statement, Tanya Cloete, a motivational speaker, and road traffic accident victim, described how she became wheelchair-bound after being involved in a tragic vehicle accident 30 kilometers outside of Rosh Pina. “We were two passengers and a driver. The driver was at a very high speed. He lost control of the vehicle and died on the spot. I was thrown out of the vehicle where I landed on the rocks and injured my spinal cord. Thus my injuries were so severe that I am wheelchair bound today.”

The road safety advocate urged road users to use seatbelts in mobile cars, emphasising that it is the responsibility of motorists to ensure that their passengers do as well.

Other pressing objectives of the event included recognizing the vital work of emergency responders, advocating for better care for road traffic victims and their families, and promoting evidence-based steps to avoid and eventually eliminate more road traffic deaths and injuries.

Road Safety

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