The 6th UN Global Road Safety week in remembrance of road crash victims has been launched
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) on Tuesday, commemorated the 6th UN Global Road Safety week in remembrance of road crash victims.
The event which was held at the Omanye Aba Hall of the AMA under the theme “Streets for life, love 30,” was aimed at strengthening the effort of the NRSA in sanitizing the roads of traffic deaths and injuries.
In a statement made available to GhanaWeb, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the AMA Chief Executive, speaking at the event, said road crashes affect health, security, sustainable cities, poverty and that addressing the risk of deaths on our roads was fundamental to achieving Sustainable Development Goals and reducing inequalities among and within countries.
He added that driving 30 kilometres per hour was safe and healthy for all road users adding low-speed streets reduce the risk of serious injuries and save lives.
“Evidence from around the world shows that low-speed streets reduce the risk of serious injuries and save lives. Driving 30km/h is safe and healthy, protect all who use them most especially the vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, children, older people and people with disabilities” he said.
A statistical report presented by Raphael Awuah, Regional Advisor for Africa Vital Strategies showed that pedestrians were the most affected road users in 2020 in relation to road traffic deaths.
He explained that pedestrians accounted for 56% of road traffic deaths whiles motorists, vehicles and bicyclists accounted for 28%, 15% and 1% respectively.
The Director-General of NRSA, Ing. May Obiri Yeboah said road crashes and deaths have become both a national tragedy and an international concern.
She said it is a collective commitment to ensure safety on our urban streets and reiterated the need to ensure strict compliance and enforcement of relevant road traffic laws.