Too high a cost for a developing nation

  • gb
25.08.16
The human and social cost of road crashes is intolerable and every effort must be put into wiping out this plague of our time from all corners of the globe as soon as possible. This is one of the missions that FIA President Jean Todt strives for incessantly, working on galvanizing authorities and stakeholders of all nations to tackle road safety
FIA, Motorsport, Mobility, Road Safety, F1, WRC, WEC, WTCC, World RX

Even in countries where private car ownership is relatively low, there are thousands of victims of road traffic accidents every year. That is the case in Ethiopia, a fact highlighted by Todt yesterday, when he met the country’s President, Mulatu Teshome in Addis Ababa, who signed the board in support of the “Save Kids Lives” campaign. “There are on average 30,000 deaths and an even higher number of injuries per year, (Source WHO; Editors note)” said Todt, with reference to the meeting citing an estimation from Word Health Organization.  “That is equivalent to one percent of the GDP (according to the 2008 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa report; Editor’s note,) a very high price to pay for a developing nation like Ethiopia.”

Apart from meeting the Head of State, Todt’s visit to the Ethiopian capital, which ends tomorrow, also took in discussions with members of the Ethiopian government  to look at topics relating to road safety. “We want to promote safe driving on open roads, ensure the police are enforcing traffic rules, instill values such as discipline, proper training, good education on the road and in case of accidents a proper post-crash service” – concluded the FIA President.