Luanda – Angola reaffirmed Thursday in New York, USA, its commitment to reducing road accident death rate.
According to the Road Traffic Report, in the first quarter of this year, Angola recorded 599 deaths and 3.000 people injured, with a total of 2.890 road accidents.
The data also point that the number of accidents registered an increase of over 111 cases compared to the same period of 2020, with 53 deaths and 172 injuries.
Road accidents are considered the second cause of death in Angola, after malaria, according to the authorities.
The secretary of State of the Interior, José Bamokina Zau, who was speaking in the High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Global Road Safety, running under the motto “The 2030 horizon for road safety: securing a decade of action and delivery”, the official presented the actions implemented by Angola Government framed in the National Strategy for Road Prevention 2019-2022 in accordance with the WHO and UN recommendations.
According to José Bamokina Zau, despite the constraints caused by economic and financial recession it was possible to implement some important actions with emphasis for the approval of several legal tools related to the Road Code.
José Bamokina Zau also highlighted the construction of infrastructures equipped with cutting-edge technology to improve the mechanisms for evaluating candidates for the legal licence to drive, as well as the implementation of mandatory technical inspection centres for vehicles.
The official mentioned training component and capacity-building for Traffic Police Officers in matters of road safety and prevention.
Bamokina Zau announced also the Angolan government’s actions aiming to reduce road traffic with the implementation of the Public Security Centre – CISP which is equipped with vídeo surveillance system, reiterating the commitment of Angola in continuing improving road security nationwide to reach the goals of the decade of Action (2020-2030), within the framework of the sustainable development goals proposed by the UN and the African Union's Agenda 2063.
The Angolan delegation included the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Angola Mission to UN, Ambassador João Gimolieca, the Defence Attaché, Colonel Custódio Livulu and the Head of the Department for International Cooperation from the Office of Exchange and Cooperation of the Interior Ministry, Mauro Mande, the Chief Superintendent Simão do Rosário, Head of the Legal Department of the National Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety of the National Police, as well as senior officials of the Permanent Mission of Angola in New York.
During the two days meeting, the participants will analize how to improve Global Road Security.
The UN General Assembly on Global Road Safety programme also include multisectorial panels on three subtopics.
According to the UN, about 1.3 million people worldwide lose their lives on the roads each year. Road crashes cost some countries up to three percent of their annual GDP and are the leading cause of death for people aged five to 29 years old worldwide.
