Ghana has been selected as one of the 15 countries to benefit from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $240 million commitment to help prevent road traffic deaths over a six-year period.
The initiative which will be replicated across 30 cities around the world that have made exemplary progress in combating road traffic deaths of which Ghana’s Accra and Kumasi have been included.
The new fund is to “effectively implement best-practice road safety activities, including running hard-hitting media campaigns to raise road user understanding of risk factors, training the police force in best practice enforcement and redesigning high-crash, high-fatality corridors and intersection,” a statement by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, Ghana has said.
The initiative hopes to reduce deaths on high-mortality roads, including interstate highways, through reduced speed limits, wider use of helmet and seat belts, and fewer drivers speeding and drinking and driving.
The press statement explained the intention is to save 600,000 more lives and to prevent up to 22 million injuries worldwide.
Road traffic injuries are the 8th leading cause of death globally and the number one killer of people ages five-29. More than 1.35 million people die and up to 50 million are seriously injured in road traffic crashes each year.
Additionally, the economic losses are staggering – a recent report released by the World Bank found that, reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by half could add 7-22% to GDP per capita in five selected low- and middle-income countries over the next 24 years.
Below is the statement:
