ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Transport disclosed that it is working to establish a national road safety performance review in a bid to reduce traffic fatalities and better monitor and plan road safety concerns.
During a validation workshop held by the ministry in collaboration with UNECA and United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund, Mulu Gebregziabher, Transport State Minister, stated that absence of a well consolidated and well informed national road safety performance review is one of the critical reasons for increasing fatality rates and property loss in Ethiopia.
To this end, upgrading the performance review would provide plenty of inputs for the intended road safety action the ministry is undertaking now, as well as for its policy and strategic document preparations, he added.
Citing that the ministry along with the relevant stakeholders has been working towards road safety concerns than any time before, she pointed out that a series of activities that aim to reduce and stop catastrophic fatality rates have been undertaken.
Nevertheless, she underscored that despite the several measures taken to mitigate the road fatality rates of the country, yet due to several contributing factors, the rates have not shown significant declination in the years passed.
Given that lack of national-based road safety performance review has forced the transport authorities to use information and data only collected from police sources, medical centers and other responsible agents, as to her the review will be helpful to curb current road crash fatalities and injuries in the country.
The Ethiopian Herald January 15/2020
BY TAMERU REGASA