6th UN Global Road Safety Week launches #Love30 campaign

On the 21st of May 2021, the UN in Eswatini, in collaboration with the Federation of UN Staff Associations and the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), joined partners to commemorate the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week by calling on motorists to reduce speed to 30kmh where people walk, live and play.

Eswatini Road Safety Council, Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) and the Royal Eswatini Police Services (REPS) joined hands with the UN in Eswatini to visit schools in busy cross-sections in Mbabane and Ezulwini. The outreach culminated in a panel discussion where the partners discussed the main causes of road accidents in Eswatini and how they can be reduced. Students from the participating schools, Materdolorosa in Mbabane and Ezulwni Catholic primary, joined partners in creating awareness by holding information placards to passing motorists with messages of reducing speed.

The 6th UN global Safety Week was commemorated on 17 to23 May worldwide to urge motorists to focus on reducing speed in order to save lives. Approximately 1.35 million people lose their lives in road accidents across the world, equating to about 3,700 people per day. A additional 20-50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries, often resulting in long-term disabilities.

UN Resident Coordinator and Designated Official for Safety and Security, Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh called for more investments investment in road safety. “Poor road infrastructure and management; non-road worthy vehicles; unenforced traffic laws; unsafe road user behaviours and inadequate post-crash care, are the lead factors in road accidents, fatalities and injuries,” she stated.

She added that it was imperative that investments in road safety are made not only to protect drivers and passengers but also vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists as more than half of all road tragic deaths are among these vulnerable road users.

She called for solidarity among stakeholders, including Government, private sector, civil society and internal agencies in ensuring road safety. “Road safety requires immense commitment and participation by people with different expertise, including road engineers, law enforcement officers, motor vehicle engineers, the media, educators, community leaders and individual road users,” she said. She called for impact-driven, strong and bold awareness campaigns “to create an in-depth understanding of the issue of road safety across all entities, creating a chain of action from governments to persons at greatest risk of being left behind.”

The RC also expressed her gratitude to the Police, Road Safety Council and MVA for ensuring the safety of Emaswati. The UN Staff Federation President Mduduzi Shongwe stated that the Road safety awareness week came at a time the country was having many road accidents. Factors that contribute to road accidents in the country are over speeding, driving under the intoxication of drugs and alcohol, the use of cellphones while driving, forgetting to put on safety gears such as seat belts and helmets. Poor infrastructure in which the roads are not maintained and there are potholes.

Mr Lusito Dlamini, who spoke on behalf of the National Commissioner of Police, noted that people who are contributing to the economy are the ones who are dying from these road accidents. He revealed that Mr. Dlamini specified that most victims of road accidents are the drivers and passengers. He challenged drivers to drive safely and be alert on the road.

Phumlile Dlamini, a road accident survivor, shared her story of how her car overturned when a bus lost its brakes and crashed into her car at Malagwane hill. She encouraged people to drive safely and that when a person is travelling to a place that you don’t know, ensure that you check that your car is roadworthy.

Mr Dumisa Dlamini, from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), urged people to drive safely because as more accidents happen, funds meant to compensate people who have been involved in accidents decrease and may not be sufficient in the long run. He motivated people to kill their speed before they kill a person. Mr. Mandla Ntshalintshali from the Road Safety Council noted that road accidents are caused negligent driving. He challenged the partners to find strategies for reducing speed in the country.