The Ministry of Transport in conjunction with road safety stakeholders will embark upon a countrywide road traffic crash victim survey soon, a press release from the ministry revealed.
According to transport ministry officials, information collected during the mapping out exercise will serve as the basis and methods for financial and material support for road crash victims.
“It will also help to create a database for road crash victims in the country. Findings will help to create an association for the road crash victims in the country,” officials said.
According to the Global Status Report (WHO 2018), more than 1.35 million people each year are killed in road traffic crashes around the world while an additional 20 to 50 million are injured by these accidents, the ministry said.
Road traffic injuries are among the world’s leading causes of death for individuals between the ages of one and thirty in all countries around the world, it added.
“In The Gambia, road traffic injuries and fatalities are increasing annually. As highlighted in the Gambia Police Force road traffic injuries annual report 2021, 13 % of road crashes resulted in fatalities, 36% serious injuries, 27% minor injuries, and 25% non-crash injuries,” the transport ministry stated.
According to the ministry, crash data collection in The Gambia, usually done at police stations and hospitals, is mostly manual.
“There is no proper synchronization of data among institutions such as the police traffic unit, police statistics unit, and hospitals. As a result, the lack of harmonization leads to data being duplicated or not recorded,” it pointed out.
The ministry said The Gambia has for the past years joined the global community on every third Sunday of November to commemorate World Remembrance Day for road traffic victims in line with the UN resolution passed and adopted on 26 October 2005.
“Road Traffic Accident (RTA); victims suffer from different types of injuries and disabilities, which can affect their quality of life. Most road traffic accident victims are usually faced with various physical, mental, and social problems, finding it difficult to reintegrate back into society,” the transport ministry highlighted in its press release.
