By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners have proposed speed limit to 30 kilometre per hour (km/h) on urban streets where road users and vehicles mix.
WHO made this call in a statement posted on its website on Saturday, ahead of the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week, which will hold from May 17, to May 23.
According to the statement, pedestrians, cyclists and others are most at risk of motorised traffic which according to them is both risky and unhealthy.
The health agency said that, annually, no fewer than 1.3 million people die in road traffic crashes, that’s one person every 24 seconds.
“Excessive speed is at the core of the road traffic injury problem, with one in three deaths on the roads in high-income countries attributed to speed.
“It is estimated that 40 to 50 per cent of people drive above the speed limit, with every one km/h increase in speed resulting in a four to five per cent increase in fatal crashes. The risk of death and injury reduces considerably when speeds are lowered,” WHO said.
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO, said that the world needs a new vision for creating safe, healthy, green and livable cities.
“Low-speed streets are an important part of that vision. As we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, let’s make safer roads for a safer world,” he said.
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