Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable prevention. Over 3000 Kenyans are killed on our roads every year, most of them between the ages of 15 and 44 years. The cost to our economy from these accidents is in excess of US$ 50million exclusive of the actual cause of life.
What is worse, without increased efforts and new initiatives, the total number of road traffic deaths worldwide and injuries is forecast to rise by some 65% between 2011 and 2020 and deaths expected to increase by as much as 80%. The majority of such deaths are currently among vulnerable road users- pedestrians and motorcyclists. Deaths among car occupants continue to be predominant but the risks per capita that vulnerable road users face are high.
It is the belief of ASIRT that the level of road deaths and injuries is unacceptable and our concern is on the devastating impact of unsafe road transport. They are to a large extent avoidable. Road traffic injury prevention and mitigation should be given the same attention and scale of resources that is currently paid to other prominent health issues if increasing human loss and injury on the roads, with their devastating impact and large economic cost to the society is to be averted.
