child road safety in africa

8/8/2019 Child Road Safety in Africa

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CHILD ROAD SAFETYCHILD ROAD SAFETYIN AFRICAIN AFRICA

A PRESENTATION BY

INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH(ICH)

CLASSFOR

PSM 727: REHABILITATIVE AND SOCIAL

MEDICINE


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INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTHINSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH

(ICH) CLASS(ICH) CLASSy UBANUS EZEKIEL 153809

y OYOM, COMFORT RUNYI 153124

y ONUMADU CHINWENDU 154769y OMOLE, OPEYEMI 153820

y OKODI,TIMIPERE J. 153575

y OGUNGBESAN, JOSHUA 152704

y ADETUNJI,OLUBUKOLA O. 76143

y ADAMS, PATRICIA 154903


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OUTLINEOUTLINE

y INTRODUCTION

y CURRENT SITUATION REPORT

y PROBLEMS OF ROAD SAFETY IN

NIGERIA/ AFRICAy WHY CHILD ROAD SAFETY?

y INTERVENTIONS TO ENSURE ROAD

SAFETY FOR ALLy RECOMMENDATIONS

y CONCLUSIONS


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INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

y Road traffic injuries are a major butneglected public health challenge thatrequires concerted efforts for effective

and sustainable prevention. Roadaccidents will rank as the world's thirdgreatest public health problem by 2020,superseded only by AIDS and tobacco

related illnesses.(Arrive Alive 2004).


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y Of all the systems with which people have todeal with everyday, road traffic systems arethe most complex and the most dangerous.

Worldwide, an estimated 1.2 million peopleare killed in road crashes each year and asmany as 50 million are injured. Projectionsindicate that these figures will increase by

about 65% over the next 20 years unlessthere is new commitment to prevention.


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y Vulnerable road users such as pedestrians,

cyclists, motorcyclists and people using

informal public transport are most likely

to be harmed on the roads. Especiallychildren and young people are at high risk,

with road traffic accidents being the

leading cause of death for 10-24 year olds.


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THE PROBLEMTHE PROBLEM

y This must never happen again

Coroners Report following the worlds first roadaccident (London 1896).

y I do not have words to express thesorrow or loss I felt. It left a hole in

my heart that can never be filled.Nelson Mandela, on the death of his eldest son

in a road accident (South Africa 1969).


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y Every year more than 1.17 million people diein road crashes around the world. Themajority of these deaths, about 70 percentoccur in developing countries. Sixty-five

percent of deaths involve pedestrians and 35percent of pedestrian deaths are children.Over 10 million are crippled or injured eachyear. It has been estimated that at least 6million more will die and 60 million will beinjured during the next 10 years indeveloping countries unless urgent action istaken.


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y The majority of road crash victims

(injuries and fatalities) in developing

countries are not the motorized vehicle

occupants, but pedestrians, motorcyclists,bicyclists, tricycles and non-motorized

vehicles (NMV) occupants.


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y In desperation at the appalling state of

road safety, many communities have taken

to do it yourself DIY measures to

protect themselves as in the SouthernGhana (above). A more structured

approach would be of benefit to all

concerned.


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CURRENT SITUATION REPORTCURRENT SITUATION REPORT

yThe World Report on ChildInjury Prevention, published by

the World HealthOrganization(WHO) andUNICEF, has highlighted the

enormous challenge of curbingchild road deaths PetroKruger, director of RMI road

safety said foundation


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y Increased levels of motorization andurbanization in low- and middle-incomecountries are placing children at greater

risk on the road. Young children mayunknowingly take risks on the roadbecause they lack appropriate skills to actsafely. Older children and adolescents

may actively indulge in risk taking behaviours that are exacerbated by peerpressure.


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y The new report, which was launched in Vietnamon 10 December 2008, collates the mostinclusive collection of available data onchildhood injury. With 260 000 children (up to

the age of 18) killed on the worlds roads everyyear, and another estimated 10 million injured,road crashes are the leading cause of childinjury.

Road crashes are a worsening global

disaster destroying lives and livelihoods,hampering development and leaving

millions in greater vulnerability.

World Disasters Report, Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies 1998


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y Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of

unintentional death to children 10 - 19 yrs of age

and the second leading cause of injury related death

for children between 5 - 9 years of age, and are alsothe leading cause of disability among children

generally. According to the recently published

World report on child injury prevention, road traffic

injuries are the leading cause of death. The report

predicts significant increases in road traffic

casualties over the next 15 years, particularly in

low-income and middle-income countries


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y The greatest need for immediate and drastic actionexists in low- and middle-income countries. Thesecountries, which include South Africa, are responsiblefor more than 93 percent of child road deaths andinjuries in the world. Data shows that globally, the

road traffic death rate among children is 10.7 per 100000 population. In the African Region, however, therate is 19.9 per 100 000 population.

y The situation in all developing countries in matters of

road safety is distressing and as Africa contains theworlds poorest countries, the situation is particularlybleak.


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According to the World Health Organizations

Global Status Report on Road Safety

y Every year, road crashes kill nearly 1.3

million people and injure between 20 and

50 million more.

y Worldwide, road traffic injuries are the

leading cause of death among people aged15 to 29, and the second cause of death for

those aged 5 to 14.


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y Five hundred children die every day in

road crashes.

y More children died in Africa in 1998 from

road crashes than from AIDS.

(WHO, 2009)


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y Road traffic injuries rank ninth among theleading cause of deaths for children aged 1 to4 year.

y

14,650 people are killed on south Africaroads each year(40people/day), 620,000crashes per year (1698/day), 38,000 seriousinjuries per year(104/day), 84,000 less

serious injuries (230/day). A person is killedevery 48 minutes and an accident occursevery 4 seconds. Last year, for example, over15,000 people died on South Africas roads


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y Head of Nigerias Federal Road SafetyCommission listed some of the causes ofroad accidents in Nigeria including;indiscipline and ignorance, excessive speed,

drunk-driving, lack of infrastructure forpedestrians, non use of seat belts and helmetsto reduce accidents in the country. Heinformed the conference of theCommissions targets, reduce to 40% roadaccidents, and a 50% death or seriouslyinjured persons by 2010(Africa Road SafetyConference, 2007).


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y In Ghana 45 percent of those killed in road

accidents are pedestrians, 70 percent are

males, 25% of all road fatalities are under

16, 60 per cent are between 18-55yrs, and 65 per cent of road accidents occur in rural

areas. Women become widows and single

parents prematurely. Children are unable to

go to school, and become destitute. In the

mid 1990s, cyclists accounted for over 50

fatalities and 400 casualties every year.


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y In general, pedestrians and cyclists are four

times more likely to be affected by RTAs

than motorized vehicles. And yet despite the

high incidences of RTAs for cyclists, theoverwhelming majority of cyclists have

neither received training nor wear protective

equipment whilst riding, thereby

endangering themselves on two counts. As

such, they pose a danger not only to

themselves but to other road users as well


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y Statistically, Kenyas crash and fatality

figures are high, with drivers, pedestrians,

and young persons recording large

numbers of deaths. Though numbers ofcrashes are decreasing, the severity of the

crashes is increasing. Causes of crashes

appear to be similar to those in othercountries, with the human factor being the

highest


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WHAT IS ROAD SAFETY?WHAT IS ROAD SAFETY?

y Road Safety involves all measures taken by

all stakeholders (government, motorists,

pedestrians and other road users) in

ensuring accident-free roads that wouldnot pose any risk or harm to all road

users.


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PROBLEMS OF ROAD SAFETY INPROBLEMS OF ROAD SAFETY IN

NIGERIANIGERIAy LACK OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION

Drivers

Pedestrians

School Children

Other Road Users


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y The environment in which a child lives has asignificant impact on the type of transportand traffic they are exposed to and thisneeds to be taken into consideration whendesigning an education plan for children.

y Children in areas with lower income level,are typically more exposed to traffic, as they

often start walking to school or using publictransport alone, at an earlier age.


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y Other external factors include the social

environments in lower income areas with

social problems, the focus of the parent is

on other social problems and noteducating their children about traffic

safety.


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AFRICAAFRICAy LACK OF ROAD SAFETY LAWS/

IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES

y BAD ROADS

y MOST VEHICLES ARE NOT ROAD

WORTHY

y INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS

y ILL-EQUIPPED WORK FORCE


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AFRICAAFRICAy RECKLESS/ DRUNKEN DRIVING

y IMPROPER ISSUANCE OF DRIVERS

LICENSE

y IMPROPER CONSTUCTION OF

ROADS TO ACCOMMODATE ALL

ROAD USERS SUCH AS CHILDREN,

CYCLISTS,ETC


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WHY CHILD ROAD SAFETY?WHY CHILD ROAD SAFETY?

y Children behave differently from adults in traffic.

Children have physical and mental

characteristics that limit their ability to handle

complex traffic situations.y They have limited attention span and cannot

concentrate on a task longer than a period of

time.

y Up to the age of 7, their senses are not fullydeveloped and they do not have the same visual

and hearing abilities as adults.


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y Their observations are guided strongly by

fantasies and emotions. They cannot

distinguish between their inner world

(their thoughts) and the external or realworld.

y They have a limited sense of danger

y They imitate the often bad behaviour ofothers, especially older children.


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y Older children and adolescents may

actively indulge in risk taking behaviours

that are exacerbated by peer pressure.


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y Older children and adolescents may

actively indulge in risk taking behaviours

that are exacerbated by peer pressure.

Road safety is an issue of immense human

proportions; it is an issue of economic

proportions; its an issue of social proportions

and its also an issue of equity. Road safety

very much affects poor people.James Wolfensohn, President - WorldBank,1999


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Why Children Are Particularly Vulnerable On The RoadWhy Children Are Particularly Vulnerable On The Road

The child is relatively small in relation to vehicles,The child is relatively small in relation to vehicles,

buildings and therefore has a limited view of his/herbuildings and therefore has a limited view of his/her

environmentenvironment

When standing on the pavement / side of the road,When standing on the pavement / side of the road,

behind or in front of vehicle the child can not seebehind or in front of vehicle the child can not see

oncoming traffic and theoncoming traffic and the

driver can not see the child.driver can not see the child.

Vulnerable body parts such as the head, chest andVulnerable body parts such as the head, chest and

abdomen are at the same height as the bonnet of a carabdomen are at the same height as the bonnet of a carand are most often hit in an accident.and are most often hit in an accident.


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Why Children Are ParticularlyWhy Children Are Particularly

Vulnerable On The RoadVulnerable On The Road Collisions in which children are often result

in brain injury. Because of the softness of theskull, it is easily damaged.The child's head is large in comparison withthe rest of his body. In a collision the child isflung through the air and usually lands onhis/her head.The young child's movement in traffic isoften quick, uncertain and clumsy and theirmovement impulsive.


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CHILD SAFETYCHILD SAFETY

y Drivers and cyclists are urged to be

careful near schools, churches, mosques,

markets, snack shop, ice cream stalls,

parks fruits trees, or street hawkers,because children are usually found in such

places.


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WHEN TRAVELLING WITHWHEN TRAVELLING WITH

CHILDRENCHILDRENy Children between the ages of 0-12 months

should not ride in front of the vehicle. This isfor their safety. Where children of given agegroups are carried on the front seat, theyshould ride facing the rear using childrestraint. The restraint should be attached,such that the child would face the rear ofthe seat.

y Children from ages 1-7 should ride facingthe front of the car in a childs seat, strappedproperly to the back seat.


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CONTDCONTD

y Do not carry a child on your laps as he or

she may be crushed between your body and

the dash board if there is a crash.

y Do not allow the children to play with thehandle of the doors or locks, use child lock

while driving where available.

y Do not allow children to ride in the luggage

area of hatch backs, station wagons or vans.


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CONTDCONTD

y Do not leave a hatch back open when a

child is riding in the back seat.

y It is against the law to transport children

under age 16 at the back of a pick-up van.

y Children from age 7 and above should

ride in a vehicle facing the front but

securely restrained with safety belt.


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CHILD SEATCHILD SEAT

y This is a special safety seat for a child that

is fitted into a car. Ensure that the child is

correctly placed in a child safety seat. This

reduces the possibility of an injury ordeath in an event of a crash.


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WHAT TO DO WHEN WALKINGWHAT TO DO WHEN WALKING

WITH A CHILDWITH A CHILDy While walking, face on coming vehicle;

hold the child on your left such that you

will be between the child and the vehicle.


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CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGECHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE

y While crossing the road, children shoulduse overhead/foot bridges where they areprovided.

y

While walking on the road, childrenshould always face the traffic.

y Children should always use the pavementwhere provided.

y Children should not play on the roads.

y Children should wear reflective clothes atdusk.


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INTERVENTIONS TO ENSUREINTERVENTIONS TO ENSURE

ROAD SAFETYROAD SAFETYy Calling the global road safety crisis "a major public

health problem" with a "broad range of social and

economic consequences," the 64th General Assembly of

the United Nations passed a resolution March 2

proclaiming 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for RoadSafety.

y Representatives of the Global Road Safety Partnership

(GRSP) met with road safety stake holders in Lagos and

Abuja, Nigeria in August 2010 to discuss the

establishment of a national road safety partnership

between the public sector, (led by the Nigerian Federal

Road Safety Commission), private sector organizations

and civil society.


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RECOMMENDATIONSRECOMMENDATIONS

y A national medium or long term Road Safety Plan is aprerequisite for achieving sustainable improvements inroad safety. The plan should set measurable long termand mid-term road safety targets, build capacity of localinstitutions, and provide alternative sources of financingfor road safety measures.

y Publicity Programs

Road user education and awareness raising is animportant part of any road safety strategy. To be

effective such activity must be based on analysis of dataand should be designed and monitored in a systematicway to ensure success.


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y Driver Training and Testing: With road user error

contributing to the vast majority of road crashes, the

development of safe drivers, skilled in defensive driving

techniques, should be the primary objective of any road

safety program. Driving examiners in developing countries

are rarely given special training and driving tests an

inadequate test of ability to drive safely in traffic on real

roads.

y Traffic Law and Enforcement: In most developing

countries the Traffic Police are grossly under-resourced andunder-trained to deal effectively with road safety violations.

Effective traffic law enforcement can play an important role

in reducing traffic crashes.


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y Road Safety Research: Research and Development is

an important part of safety work and should be

incorporated into road safety programs. Road safety

research aims to improve knowledge about factors

contributing to road crashes, effects of differentcountermeasures, and development of new and more

effective safety measures. It forms the framework of

knowledge against which better policy and resource

allocation decisions can be made to ensure most

effective use of available resources.


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y The Role of NGOs: Road safety cannot be the

responsibility of government alone. The commercial sector,

service organisations and non-Governmental Organisations

(NGOs) play an important role in increasing road safety

awareness. NGOs have an important input at grass roots

level.


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CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

y Children will always be children.

y Child road safety in Africa requires acomprehensive approach, including

involvement from parents, teachers,communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Acomprehensive approach also includetraining programs in classrooms, educatingchildren with plays, booklets, games andtraining them in real life scenarios


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REFERENCESREFERENCES

y Arrive Alive (2004), Road Traffic and Fatal Crash Statistics 1990-

2003

y Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, How Children See Traffic, City of

Madison Department of Transportation, Traffic Engineering Division,

www.bhsi.org

y Carlsson, Gunnar, and Karl-Olov Hedman. 1990. A Systematic

Approach to Road Safety in Developing Countries. INU 63,

Infrastructure and Urban Development Department, World Bank,

Washington, DC.

y Department for Transport (2004), Childrens Traffic Safety:

International lessons for the UK

y Federal Road Safety Commission,Nigeria (2008). Nigeria Highway

Code.


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yTHANK YOU

child road safety in africa

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