The Sunday News
PEDESTRIAN safety is everyone’s responsibility, including motorists — in fact, every road user! According to recent research in the SadcADC Region, corroborated by World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, more than 300 000 pedestrian deaths were recorded globally, accounting for 22 percent of total road user fatalities in 2019.
Road traffic accident deaths in Zimbabwe reached 7 667 or 6,46 percent of total deaths in 2018. The age adjusted death rate is 61,90 per 100 000 of population which ranks Zimbabwe #1 in the world.
To help address these alarming statistics the #ISEEYOU road safety project campaign, sponsored by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and in partnership with the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has been launched by the Automobile Association of Zimbabwe as part of a regional initiative. The road safety campaign’s mandate is to build awareness to ensure the visibility of vulnerable road users.
The Automobile Association of Zimbabwe is working diligently to raise awareness of pedestrian visibility by visiting various taxi ranks and schools across Zimbabwe in the coming weeks, to inform commuters and scholars of the importance of being visible, and by distributing high-visibility sashes. The #ISeeYou project has been running since 2019 and is a programme originally developed by the AA South Africa in partnership with FIA Region 1.
Being visible on the road is crucial to ensure pedestrian safety. High visibility clothing or other items are a good way to stand out, especially when light is fading such as in early mornings or late afternoons. Motorists should also play their role by focusing only the road when they are driving, and not on anything else such as electronic devices, or other passengers.
The importance of this project lies in the figures shared by WHO. Globally, approximately 1,3 million people lose their life in road traffic crashes each year, and 90 percent of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries (WHO, 2021).
The African continent has the highest rate of road traffic death (26,6 per 100 000 people) and pedestrians account for 40 percent of all its road traffic deaths (WHO, 2018) — the highest share of pedestrian fatalities in the world. The cause is very often a lack of infrastructure and indiscipline by pedestrians (no sidewalks, no zebra crossing thus forcing pedestrians to “jay walk”, no street lighting).
If you would like to play your part in making pedestrians more visible, please visit our website www.aazimbabwe.co.zw and why not consider sponsoring high-visibility sashes for employees in your company, or for a school in your area.
Remember, your contribution could save a life! — Advertorial.
