Road crashes, deaths, injuries decline steadily

Namibia has recorded a 4 percent decrease in road crashes over the last five years. Works and transport minister John Mutorwa said the decrease in crashes provides a glimmer of hope and presents a positive outlook for local road users and international travellers visiting the country. Mutorwa announced the statistics on Wednesday in a speech read on his behalf by the ministry&#039;s executive director, Jonas Sheelongo, during the ninth annual road safety conference at Ongwediva.Positive declinesSheelongo said the number of fatalities in proportion to the number of crashes also dropped, from 18% in 2019 to 14% in 2023.“In the same vein, fatalities have been on a downward trend, recording a 30% reduction from 609 in 2019 to 423 in 2023. The fatalities per 10 000 vehicles have also reduced by 32%, from 15.2 percent in 2019 to 10.3 percent in 2023,” Sheelongo said.He added that injuries per 100 000 population declined by 59% from 250.5 in 2019 to 101.5 in 2023. Because road safety is multi-sectoral in nature, it must be tackled by all stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and civil society, he emphasised.“In order to ensure that Namibian road safety efforts are in line with international best practices, continuous research and benchmarking are necessary for building a proper body of knowledge for the sub-sector,” he said, adding that policies, regulations and laws must be aligned to current trends to be effective.Working togetherChairman of the national road safety council Eliphas !Owos-Ôab said the three-day conference seeks to strengthen performance monitoring and evaluation to enhance pillar-based performance management.!Owos-Ôab said the annual road safety conference is significant for the Namibian chapter of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to bring together relevant stakeholders to assess the progress of key initiatives in their strategic pillars.Road traffic injuries impose an economic burden equivalent to 3% of the gross domestic product in most countries, he said, in addition to the substantial financial and personal losses experienced by the individuals and families affected. The three-day conference will conclude today.

Road crashes, deaths, injuries decline steadily

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Road crashes, deaths, injuries decline steadily

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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