To Enhance Road Safety… RTA Signs Agreements With 14 Stations

As part of its continuous efforts to promote road safety campaign, the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority (SLRTA) on Tuesday 13^th August, 2013 signed agreements with fourteen (14) community radio stations nationwide to promote road safety campaign through advocacy, weekly programs and jingles.

SLRTA Executive Director, Dr. Sarah Finda Bendu encouraged station managers to prioritize road safety in their daily broadcasts as part of their own corporate social responsibility to reduce accidents.

She further noted that the media is a key partner in the sensitization and promotion of road safety and urged it to join the bandwagon.

Dr. Sarah Finda Bendu further revealed that more than 1.2 million people die worldwide annually as a result of road crashes while over 50 million are injured and underscored that most of these tragedies can be prevented through improvements in roads, vehicles, and emergency response systems.

She urged drivers to avoid speeding and drinking while driving, to use seatbelts and motorbike riders to use crash helmets to minimize casualties.

She further stated that such actions could be promoted through the development of comprehensive road safety legislations and rigorous enforcement to increase public awareness on road safety laws as well as force the public to abide by them.

According to Dr. Bendu, the most powerful of these campaigns is for people to be aware about the consequences of not abiding by the laws that would result to deaths, injuries that may lead to disability as well as fines and imprisonment.

The SLRTA playlist features road safety mass media campaigns developed by WHO, Ministries of Health and other partners worldwide as part of the Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS10) Project.

The Station Manager of Radio Gbafith, Mile 91, Hassan Y. Koroma, commended Dr. Sarah Bendu for efforts to promote road safety and assured SLRTA of their fullest cooperation.

Hassan Y. Koroma also described Dr. Bendu’s approach as unique and innovative in the fight to reduce road accidents and appealed to her colleagues to take road safety a priority and their responsibility to protect the life of every Sierra Leonean.

By Abdul R. Bedor Kamara

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