Monash Africa Centre hosts Road Safety Forum

21 October 2010

The delegates at the Road Safety Forum held on the Monash South Africa campus.

From the left: Prof Rod McClure, Director of the Monash University Accident Research Centre, Ass Prof Dina Burger, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at Monash South Africa and Dr Michael Fitzharris Director of the Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Research Node at Monash South Africa

In seeking to bring about reductions in the number of people killed in road accidents in southern Africa, the Monash Africa Centre brought together key stakeholders from South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana, at an international Road Safety Forum held on the Monash South Africa campus on 19 October 2010.

This Forum was a joint initiative between Monash University, Australia and the Monash Africa Centre which falls under the Research Portfolio at Monash South Africa under the leadership of  Ass Prof Dina Burger, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research. 

The status of road accidents as a leading global public health priority is well established.  Globally in 2007, 1.3 million people were killed. Most of these deaths occurred in developing countries and they disproportionately involve the young. By 2030 the number of people killed as a result of road accidents is forecast to increase by 52% to close to 2.2 million per annum. The forecast increase in deaths in Africa is estimated to be 127% largely as a consequence of rapid motorisation. 

Africa has among the highest road death and serious injury rates in the world with 32.2 deaths per 100 000 persons in contrast to 10.3 deaths per 100 000 persons in high income countries. Expressed another way, Africa has 2% of the worlds registered vehicles and 18% of all road accident-related deaths. While 52% of the worlds registered vehicles are in high income countries, these countries account for only 9.4% of global road deaths (WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2009).   

Following a concerted campaign by a range of global participants, in 2009 the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 – 2020 the ‘Road Safety Decade of Action’ with the goal of first stabilising, then reducing the numbers of people killed on the roads.

Five pillars have been nominated as the focus of action: road safety management; infrastructure; safer vehicles; road user behavior and post-crash care.

Against this backdrop the delegates gathered at the Monash Road Safety Forum determined to seek solutions to the prevailing problem within the African context. Various governmental, academic as well as multi-national organisations were represented.

According to the opening speaker at the Forum Mr Ndengeza Masangu, Senior Manager: Research and Development at the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the cost of road accidents, in terms of human lives as well as in fiscal terms is a great burden on society. The annual expenditure by the South African government on road accidents is 1.5% of annual GDP.

He said that: “In developing countries the death of a breadwinner due to a road accident can also plummet a family into poverty.”

He added that: “The tendency in developing countries is to under budget on prevention, only to then overspend on actual costs. This results in governments spending as much as four times the amount on damage control that it spends on prevention.”

He stressed that a pro-active approach is needed in order to minimise the fiscal cost as well as the cost of the loss of lives.

Ass Prof Dina Burger, said that the Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Research Node at Monash South Africa, in collaboration with Prof Rod McClure, Director of the Monash University Accident Research Centre, is assuming a leading role in addressing and solving the issues related to road safety in Africa through forums such as these.