Fight against accidents registers positive remarks

Undoubtedly, the fight against road safety registers progress. From 3676 accidents of circulation in 2010 to 951 between January and June, 2014 and from 1588 deaths to 386 in the same space of time, while the balance sheet stagnated for several years.

The screws are tightened around offences under the road code by the national gendarmerie, regularly present on the roads, as part of Operation "control-surveillance-prevention of road traffic offences". To save additional lives and make the Cameroonian roads safer, measures have relatively been taken for speed reduction, consumption of alcohol and drugs before driving, drivers rest and limitation of the races between cities served, the condition of the vehicles.

«Reducd speeds will decrease the number of alcohol-related accidents and limit the violence of the shock against the obstacles. By lowering the speed limit to 80 km per hour, it will result in an average speed of 76 km/hour and it would be possible to save more than 350 to 400 lives a year.

"This gain will be possible if one applies the measure across the network: urban and interurban ', says an official of the NGO, Sécuroute. As more than 30% of fatal accidents are caused by alcohol and various other human errors, experts recommend three combined actions to save lives per year. Finally, the removal of obstacles that are not often mentioned: potholes, narrow pavements have also been envisaged.

"It is pointless to have good texts if we cannot apply them. There are approximately 60 offences listed and sanctioned by the gendarmerie on major roads. But in town, it's different. You really have to be unlucky these days to be detained for not wearing a seat belt.