BMJ  2005;331:710-711 (1 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7519.710

Editorial

Road safety in Africa

Is part of the broader development process

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We must now use every day to act on road safety, and implement effective sustainable action to prevent injury and death on the world's roads.

Dr Lee Jong-wook, director-general, World Health Organization

The World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention notes that political will and commitment are important for sustainable prevention of road traffic injuries.¹ Development agencies need to place road safety in Africa and elsewhere at the centre of the global agenda along with the institutional, political, economic, and social issues which make roads so dangerous. For example, the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002 did not include a single item on road safety—a growing problem in Africa and other low income and middle income countries—on its agenda, declaration, or plan of action.²

Africa's economic and social conditions began to deteriorate in the 1970s and have continued to do so.^{3 4} Between . . . [Full text of this article]

(khayesim@who.int)
Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland

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