Political will key in ensuring road safety, says Lukwago
Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago has underpinned the dire need of whipping up the political will, especially in developing countries to consider road safety as one of the top priorities in their respective development programmes.
Lukwago who is in New York as one of the key speakers at the invitation of UN General Assembly President, Abdulla Shahid made his submission at a dialogue themed: "The 2030 horizon for road safety; securing a decade of action and delivery."
"To achieve that target of having reduced road fatalities and injuries by 2030, we must enhance this commitment of state parties. That is very important and significant. I come from a country and a city where there is a total breakdown of infrastructure where mass public transport is nonexistent," said Lukwago.
Globally, road traffic crashes cause nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries every year, 93% of which occur in low and middle income countries- making it the leading killer of young people aged between 15-29 worldwide.
The Kampala Capital City Authority report on road safety released in May this year indicates that the fatalities stand at 10 people out 100,000 per day with overall annual crashes staggering at 3,000.
The dialogue accordingly adopted a Global Declaration on rekindling the political will to be able to achieve the aforesaid ambitious target of the Decade of Action for road safety.
Lukwago said there is no political will on road safety demonstrated from low and middle income states and this is because Clause No.5 of the UN Resolutions simply requires member states to ensure political commitment and responsibility. It is not compelling enough reason whereof; States are not the main drivers of road safety.
Other members dissected the key prerequisites for and elements of effective leadership on road safety issues by highlighting what needs to be done to ensure that road safety is seen as a challenge that requires a whole of government response rather than one that is the responsibility of one or two ministries.
