By Binta Jaiteh
Honourable Amadou Camara National Assembly Member for Nianija has disclosed that the Gambia registered 382 fatal road accidents in the quarter of the year 2022.
He said the Gambia is ranked number 4 in road accidents and due to its alarming, the National Assembly Members called for an urgent stringent measure for the relevant ministries to mitigate the solution.
According to him, if the trend continues at the end of the year there is likely the country may register close to 1500 road accidents. Identifying the drivers as the lead causes of these accidents, he said may be acceptable but the authorities especially the police have a role to play in mitigating these factors. Statistics have revealed that in 2020 and 2021 the country has officially recorded 787 and 971 road traffic accidents respectively.
He said this has shown an increase in the number of accidents and it is very disturbing because in most cases they are deadly and affect the lives of the people whom we represent as a Parliament.
“I wish to make this subject affecting the people of The Gambia a matter of the day in this Assembly for us as people’s representatives to discuss as well as draw the attention of the Executive and relevant authorities to this alarming situation and seek strategic measures to addressing it,” he said
He reiterated that road traffic accidents are tragic and a continuous threat to lives, and sometimes properties. The police have by large, associated these road traffic accidents with drivers as the lead cause through reckless, dangerous, and careless driving, the influence of intoxication, over-speeding, overloading, and distractions among others.
He said it is suggested that one of the main reasons or principles behind the decrease in road traffic accidents in developed countries is due to strict law enforcement, vehicle safety, and road standards, among others. Thus, it is evident that government has a big role in reducing the issue of road traffic accidents in this country by coming up with the appropriate reforms and strategies to mitigate this menace that is taking the lives of our people daily, he explained
He called on the government and in particular, the Minister of Interior to look into the issue of road traffic accidents to institute stringent measures for mitigating it. We cannot continue to tolerate the tragic loss of lives through road traffic accidents. “Equally, I call on the Standing Committee of Defence and Security of this august Assembly to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into the matter and proffer a solution to it.
