Swedish traffic safety programme saves lives in developing countries

There are now mini roundabouts and speed bumps in the Kingdom of Bhutan. In Vietnam a person choosing a motor cycle taxi can have a uniformed driver in a helmet and loan protective equipment for himself/herself. In Uruguay, car inspection establishments are being tested. All these measures that help to make traffic safer in developing countries are concrete results of the Sida-funded Road Safety education programme led by Professor András Várhelyi and Sverker Almqvist of the Traffic Engineering Unit at the Lund College of Engineering.

In October 2006 participants from eleven African countries gathered at Benoni, South Africa, to give accounts of their own projects and show how they had used the knowledge gained during four weeks in Lund in the spring to solve practical problems in their own countries. This was the third running of the programme: in 2004 the target group was from Eastern Europe and Latin America and in 2005 from Asia.

For András Várhelyi and Sverker Almqvist this was the third version of the international course “Road Traffic Safety”, run by Lund University Education, the University’s company for commissioned education. However both of them have devoted a large part of recent decades to the growing road safety problems of the Third World and have a wide experience of conditions in other countries.

They have both been involved in road safety education before but the project-based working methods of the current education programme, with theory alternating with practice, have been more rewarding than earlier courses.

Participants usually work in groups of three from each country. There are police officers, civil servants from national and local authorities and representatives of the education system. Few of them knew each other before going on the Road Traffic Safety programme and the training has enabled them to make valuable new contacts across both occupational and national boundaries.

“There is a mixture of people of different backgrounds working on road safety in different disciplines just as there is in most other countries,” says Sverker Almqvist. Here they meet and exchange thoughts and ideas.

In the course of an intensive month in Lund the participants were able to alternate lectures with study visits and formulate a project idea of their own for applying their new knowledge, together with a work schedule and timetable.

After returning home the participants can begin to implement their projects and communicate with each other and the instructors by e-mail.

“Not everybody is used to working in a team and network correspondence was new to many people. These contacts are important – they learn from each other and this method of working functions very well,” says András Várhelyi.

“We can see how people have developed; they have a higher self-esteem compared with before the course. International training at university gives confidence and status and allows them to take an extra step forwards both professionally and personally. It would be very interesting to do a follow-up after five years and see how things have worked out for the participants,” says András Várhelyi.

Now, at the Kopanong Hotel, a conference centre halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, it is time to report. Each country reports orally, after which another group has to oppose the report.

The mood of the course is positive and the participants give each other support and encouragement, but it is also a forum for questioning and critical examination. All for the purpose of finding the strengths and weaknesses of the projects. Questions are raised and discussed; the instructors give explanations and examples.

Regardless of the starting point of the different countries, the level of ambition is high. It is noticeable that everybody has worked hard in their own particular area. Each case study is based on specific national problems.

Nigeria is planning a national accident database to identify problem areas and find appropriate solutions. Lesotho and Madagascar are working to improve existing but incomplete systems.

Ghana is working to get the insurance companies to take greater financial responsibility for road safety measures. Namibia wants also to involve the private sector and non-government organisations (NGOs) in road safety work. Ethiopia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia want to improve safety for those most unprotected in traffic, such as pedestrians, cyclists and children. All of them have implemented the lessons from Lund in their respective reports.

After a busy week with many long sessions, it is time for the conclusion and the awarding of diplomas. John Noble, Executive Director of the Ministry of Road Transport, Ghana, gives a concluding speech on behalf of the participants. In his luggage he is taking home a new traffic monitoring camera, purchased in Cape Town.

“During this time I have not only gained new knowledge but also made new friends. We will keep in touch – why not have a newsletter giving hints on new articles and saying what is happening in the field of road safety? Let us share our experience and our expertise and continue to spread the word,” says John Noble.

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