Luanda – Over 5,529 people died and 12,960 were injured in 11,066 traffic accidents that occurred in Angola from January to October this year.
The information was given by this Sunday by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, after the march to celebrate the 15th edition of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffick Victims (Nov 20), under the motto “Acting now is saving lives on the roads”.
The official said that in Angola traffic accidents are the second biggest cause of death and the first cause of physical disability.
The official pointed out that this figure represents an unbearable price by causing much pain and suffering to the families and does not help the national economy due to early losses with the reduction of the driving force, generator of development and with negative impacts on the Human Development indicators.
According to Esperança da Costa, the number of traffic accidents is worrying and should serve as a warning considering that a lot of work should be done in order to significantly reduce road accidents by preventing at least 50% of fatalities by 2030, the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
With this event, which takes place under the motto “Acting now is saving lives on the roads”, the vice-president added that the intention is not only to honour the road victims memory, but also to raise citizens' awareness on the need for a deep reflection and concrete actions aiming to reduce road accident rates.
According to the World Health Organization (OMS), every year road traffic causes over 1.3 million avoidable deaths and about 50 million injuries, making it the leading cause of death of children and young people worldwide and without any change to face this reality, over the next two decades this figure could increase by 65%.
“The research theories of road accidents allow us to state that they result from the lack of harmony or breakdown between the three main elements of the traffic system (Man, Vehicle and the Road), where man, whether driver, passenger or paedestrian, is the main protagonist, with 90% of accidents caused, either by acting negligently or recklessly, or by acting maliciously”, said Esperança da Costa.
Since 2007, Angola has been celebrating the World Day of Remembrance for Road Victims, through actions which aims to permanently promote prevention and road security.
Therefore, she said, the National Council for Road and Traffic Planning, a consultative body of the Head of State, once again joins the cause and invites society in general to an exhaustive approach to the phenomenon of traffic accidents in order to promote road prevention and safety.
In this regard, the new model of teaching driving and legal qualification to drive was launched, in accordance with the Presidential Decree 203/16 of 29 September.
The Vice-President pointed out that with this model the intention is to leave behind the oral assessment model, which has been practiced until now and which is a process very prone to a number of subjectivities, and move on to the implementation of multimedia or written exams at a national level.
“It is not yet the desirable model, but it represents an important step to improve the quality of future drivers and contribute to the reduction of road accidents”, Esperança da Costa assured.
Also as part of the celebration of the event, several workshops on “Road Safety and Prevention” are scheduled, which will bring together public-private institutions, in general, with guest lecturers and moderators, and civil society, to discuss, educate and find solutions that contribute to the definition of strategies for the short, medium and long term reduction of road accidents in the country.
