[11/June/2009]

The lack for traffic control, safety systems in public transportation means and the incomplete statistics are the main reasons behind: ESCWA expert.

Edited By: Tawfiq Alnadhif

SANA'A, June 11 (Saba)- Traffic accidents become a big trouble threaten the community, which exhaust the national and human potential resources and weaken the communities in addition to the massive losses such as the social, psychological and material problems they left.

Traffic accidents in Yemen are still killing hundreds of people monthly, and they left many deaths and injuries and widow women and orphans children.

Several reasons cause these accidents; the concerned authorities mention few of them and ignore the other ones which reveal that they are directly or indirectly responsible.

Last week recorded high rates in the level of traffic accidents that took place in different provinces. Those accidents left 44 people dead and 360 injured varied from severe, medium and light injuries, as well as material losses.

The high-speed, the lack of periodical maintenance and technical examination of vehicles, the false go by and the use of mobile phone particularly in the long roads and the teens drivers were the main reasons behind most of the accidents.

The International expert in traffic safety at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Dr. Bassam Anani said, in a working paper submitted during an expanded meeting held recently at the Ministry of Transportation, that Yemen is one the most affected countries by the traffic accidents.

He pointed out that the numbers of deaths are monitored represent only 70 % of the actual numbers because some accidents are not proclaimed.

Moreover, this figure represents the deaths occurred in the scene while the deaths that occur later on in hospitals are not mentioned.

He said that traffic accidents represent an economic obstacle rather than the bad humanitarian and social impact that case a developmental retardation in the community.

He summarized the main problems that face the traffic safety in Yemen by two reasons, first the lack of qualified personnel who can prepare and analyze the traffic data, secondly the incomplete statistics about the accidents, which hinder the goals that might be set up for reducing the accidents indicators.

He added that the obstacles that face the traffic safety also the absence of traffic control on a continuous basis, the non-use of public transportation vehicles in a safety manner and lack of the public transportation means for safety systems, the lack of follow-up of drivers who have repeated infractions, in addition to the poor control on the Driving Schools which grant the licenses for the driver and the vehicles and the unsafe use for unlicensed motorcycles.

He recommended on necessity of setting up a comprehensive assessment study to make a general strategy includes the development of roads traffic safety in order to identify areas of weaknesses and deficiencies and traffic accidents data and geometric design of roads, driver training and testing and licensing of vehicles and insurance for passenger traffic and control traffic and awareness programs, information and education, traffic studies, including the cost of accidents.

Saba