Road Safety: Digital technology to help prevent accidents

Despite the promise of digital revolution, road safety in Africa remains a pressing challenge. Thousands of lives are lost or affected every year due to road accidents – many of which could be prevented with better data, smarter technology and more innovative solutions.

Recognising the urgency of this crisis, experts and stakeholders from across the continent met in December 2024 to explore how digitalization and emerging technologies can improve road safety in Africa.

Also present were representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), European Union, University of Rome, experts from African countries, and civil society organisations. They explored strategies to harness digital solutions to address road safety challenges, particularly focusing on data-driven approaches, advanced analytics, and emerging technologies.

Organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) in collaboration with the International Road Federation (IRF), the workshop brought together key players from across the continent and beyond to rethink road safety on the continent.

With traffic fatalities soaring at an alarming rate – 19-5 deaths per 100,000 people, the highest in the world – Africa stands at a critical crossroads. Could technology provide posed by road traffic fatalities?

Robert Lisinge, Director of the Technology, Innovation, Connectivity, and Infrastructure Development Division at UN ECA, highlighted the limitations of current road safety management systems in Africa.

“Current road safety management systems in Africa predominantly depend on manual data collection, visual inspections, and subjective expert assessments, rendering them costly, time-consuming, and ineffective due to under-reporting and poor-quality data,” he said, while stressing the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies to revolutionize road safety management.

Philip Wijers of IRF Global painted a stark picture of the impact of road crashes on African communities.

“Africa experiences the highest incidence of road traffic fatalities, with a rate of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals, compared to 16 deaths per 100,000 in Southeast Asia and 6.5 deaths per 100,000 in Europe,” he said.

Mr. Wijers emphasized the importance of leveraging innovation and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to tackle road deaths and injuries.

Africa lags behind other regions in road safety performance, but the ongoing digital transformation of the transport sector offers a unique opportunity to integrate safety, efficiency, and sustainability into road safety systems.

By adopting digital tools, Africa can significantly improve the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030).