Road Safety Foundation wants road speed limit reduced to 30KM/H to reduce accidents
The Road Safety Alert Foundation (ROSAF) has urgently called the Malawi government to embark on replacement of 50 Kilometre per hour speed limit with new 30 Kilometre per hour speed limit on the roads of Malawi.
The foundation says it is deeply saddened by the recent surge in tragic incidents on the country’s roads particularly in the month of June, 2024, resulting in fatalities and injuries of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).
Reports indicate that in the past ten days or so, over twenty people have been killed in road crashes in various parts of the country including Ntcheu, Dedza and the latest incident in Chibavi, Mzuzu City on Wednesday, which has claimed four lives while a little girl also survived by a whisker in another incident in Dedza.
In an official communiqué released by ROSAF on June 20, 2024 signed by the foundation’s Executive Director, Joel Jere, and made available to Nyasa Times, the foundation has urged the Malawi government to direct the Malawi Police Service (MPS) to start penalising drivers exceeding the new 30KM/H speed limit and to instruct the Department of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) to present a draft policy aligned with the United Nations Decade of Action 2021-2030 to the parliamentary committee without delay.
“ROSAF categorically holds that these road crashes, fatalities and injuries are unacceptable as they are preventable. These heart-wrenching incidents underscore the urgent need for speed limit enforcement to protect pedestrians, children, and all Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).
“We appeal to the government of Malawi to honour its commitment it made at the United Nations High Level Meeting on July 1, 2022, and immediately start implementing the 30Km/h speed limit enforcement in all areas where vehicle traffic mix with pedestrians. Implementation of the 30Km/h speed limit is also part of the Malawi Road Safety Strategy 2022-2030 and the 2021-2030 United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety,” reads part of the communiqué.
According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data published in 2020, road traffic deaths in Malawi reached 6,221 representing 6.45% of annual total deaths.
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