The Road Safety Alert Foundation (ROSAF) has advised the government of Malawi to adopt the 30 kilometres per hour speed limit in all places where people and traffic mix to curb road accidents.

Currently, the recommended speed limit at places where people and traffic mix is 50 kilometres per hour.

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) and death are a major public health issue in Malawi, with the country registering 96,967 patients with injuries between 2009 and 2015 in the KCH Trauma Registry.

In a march marking the 2022 Road Safety Week (UNGRSW), ROSAF called on all relevant authorities in Malawi to adopt the aforementioned speed limit in all places within the vicinity of schools, cities, markets and all busy places that attract high numbers of people.

ROSAF, it was gathered, conducted the march in Mwanza to raise awareness on the need to observe speed limits to prevent road accidents.

‘ROSAF is also advocating for inclusive climate resilient road transport by calling upon the government of Malawi to actualise the mandatory road construction policy of making all roads safer for all road users by, among other interventions, providing other amenities for other road users like separate walkways and cycleways instead of the current elitist approach to road construction where only vehicle users are prioritised’, the foundation said in a statement.

The global road safety week, which falls between 16 and 22 May, 2022, is observed to raise awareness about road safety and highlights the changes required to reduce the number of road accidents and deaths.

UNGRSW is hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to highlight the benefits of low-speed limits on urban streets. It is a biennial global campaign that brings together civil society organisations (CSOs), governments, corporations, and other organisations from all over the world.

Photo source: Firesika