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Government Helps Prevent Fatal Toll Of Road Deaths In Developing Countries
19/11/2009
By Lea Pachta
A new package of funding to make roads safer and improve driving skills in some of the world's poorest countries was announced today by the UK government. Currently one person dies on the road every 30 seconds in developing countries.
The funding will also improve road design, provide pedestrian crossings, and help to make dangerous junctions safer by adding road markings and more early warning signs.
Road accidents are now a bigger cause of death than malaria in developing countries. Over 3,000 people die every day and this figure could nearly double by 2020 due to an increase in road building and a growing number of faster cars appearing every day.
The Department for International Development (DFID) will give the £1.5m to efforts to save an estimated five million lives and avoid 500 million serious injuries over the coming decade by analysing accident blackspots, increasing seatbelt use, adding traffic calming measures and training drivers.
The funding, announced today at the first ever ministerial meeting on global road safety, will be given over three years to the World Bank's Global Road Safety Facility, which is worth over £10 million. The fund is a joint partnership between the UK's Department for International Development, the World Bank, the International Automobile Foundation (FIA) and the Swedish, Dutch and Australian governments.
As one of the core donors in the partnership, the UK can use its expertise in this area to advise the programmes it sponsors around the world.
Minister for Development Gareth Thomas said:
"It is shocking to know that statistically, two of the most dangerous things that people in developing countries do in their daily lives is travel on or cross the road.
"I want to see this funding make a real impact on reducing casualty... continued on page two >
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