GABORONE, May 13– The Botswanan government on Monday emphasized its commitment to road safety through stricter laws, public awareness campaigns, and infrastructure upgrades. Participating in a march in the national capital of Gaborone for the eighth United Nations Global Road Safety Week, Botswanan Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Keoagile Atamelang urged collective responsibility to ensure safer roads for all through measures, including dedicated lanes for pedestrians and cyclists, improved road signage, and better street lighting. Statistics from the Botswana Police Service reveal a rise in road fatalities, with 72 deaths in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 61 in the same period last year. In 2024, 346 lives were lost due to road accidents.
Gaone Majere, mayor of Francistown, Botswana‘s second-largest city, said the country must move toward integrated planning that prioritizes the safety and accessibility of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and those using public transport. Globally, an estimated 1.2 million people are killed in road crashes each year, with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for over one-quarter of these deaths, and as many as 50 million are injured, according to a report on road traffic injury prevention jointly issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. Road crashes cost countries about 3 percent of gross domestic product due to medical costs, lost productivity, and infrastructure damage, said Fabian Ndenzako, WHO representative to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community. The eighth UN Global Road Safety Week is taking place from Monday to Sunday, under the theme “Make Walking and Cycling Safe.”
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