Road traffic accidents have been ranked as the second leading cause of death among youth under 25 years.

This revelation was made on Monday at the Department of State for works, Construction and Infrastructure where Lamin Nyabally, Permanent Secretary of the department, formally received the declaration on road safety issued out at the International Youth Conference held from April 22 to 27 in Geneva.

The conference was part of a string of activities marking the UN Global Road Safety Week and The Gambia was represented at the conference by Ousman Conteh, Clerk of the Banjul Youth Parliament.

Receiving the document, Mr. Nyabally expressed delight with the outcome of the conference. He said the government of The Gambia has plans to implement a national strategy on road safety, adding that this will be incorporated in the school curricular activities so that children can be aware of the realities on our roads. He added that parents, community based societies, youth groups, traditional communicators, as well as the media will be involved in shaping up the behaviour pattern of the youth in order to curb down the menace.

Presenting the declaration, the Banjul Youth Parliament representative Ousman Conteh said road traffic injuries rank as the  second leading cause of death for youth between 5 and 25 years globally. He said 1.2 million people lose their lives in road traffic accidents each year, with youth under 25 years representing one-third. He then added: “More than 90 per cent of these fatal crashes occur in low and middle income countries.”

Mr. Conteh said most of the accidents involve pedestrians, cyclists, motor cyclists, and passengers. However, he pointed out that in high income countries most of the crashes involve drivers.

Dr Nestor Shivute, Country Representative of World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern on the use of helmets, seat-belts, and the need to avoid drink-driving and over-speeding.

Dr Shivute said road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue that disproportionately affects vulnerable groups of road users, including the poor. He said WHO stands “very firm within the framework of its constitutional mandate to work with and to support countries in making our roads safer”.

He disclosed that road traffic accident is a man-made problem in spite of its devastating consequences. He said the accident can be “predicted and prevented”.

Lang Konteh, Operations Manager Shell Marketing Gambia Ltd highlighted his company’s commitment to improving road safety.

Abdoulie O Camara, Deputy Permanent Secretary Department of State for Works, Construction and Infrastructure and few other stakeholders were present at the ceremony.