Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AfroSAFE (Safe System for radical improvement of road safety in low- and middle-income African countries)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
The primary objective of the AfroSAFE project is to promote Safe System approach to traffic safety work in the African countries. Safe System stands on solid ethical and scientific grounds, and by now there is a large bulk of scientific evidence and practical experiences supporting its efficiency. While Safe System was first introduced in high income countries, its principles are universal and are equally applicable to any context or income level. AfroSAFE joins in the same consortium partners from the countries with the world-best records in traffic safety (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands), and from three African countries (Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia). The intention is to expose the African researchers, but also the stakeholders outside of the project consortium, to the Safe System thinking at all stages—from analysing the problem scope and identifying the most crucial safety problems, suggesting systematic (rather than most immediate) contributing factors to suggesting solutions for how they can be changed. The project addresses all the traditional pillars of traffic safety—management, safe infrastructure, safe vehicles, safe road user behaviour, and post-crash care. Particularly, attention is paid to the safety of the vulnerable road users, which comprise the main bulk of the traffic fatalities and injuries. Additionally, the project prioritises the local capacity building, i.e. providing knowledge, tools and methods for improving the quality and availability of vocations (e.g. vehicle mechanics, driving teachers) and academic education in traffic safety.
Within the first 18 months of the project, AfroSAFE has performed a comparative analysis of the traffic safety management structures in the European partner countries (with a long tradition of using Safe System) and selected African countries. We could identify which functions and roles necessary for effective safety management are not clearly defined or assigned, but also point out some formal (e.g. lack of a law or regulations prescribing a certain activity) and informal (e.g. current practices not supporting the activities that is actually prescribed).
In relation to Safe Infrastructure, AfroSAFE has reviewed which infrastructure safety management tools are currently used in the African partner countries (e.g. black spot management, network safety assessments, safety audit and inspections, etc.), and also prepared guidelines for the missing tools. A general finding was that tools that do not require quality accident data (e.g. safety inspections) are already in use, while data-dependent tools are much less common. This strengthens the motivation for improving the quality of the accident databases in the African countries. Later in the project, we will provide training in the use of the missing tools and run several pilots to illustrate their usefulness.
When it comes to safe vehicles, AfroSAFE reviewed the standards and regulation related to the import of the used vehicles to Africa. Since most of the vehicles on the continent are second-(or even third- and more)hand, it is crucial that the most important safety equipment is present and functional before the vehicle is allowed in traffic. Later, the project will also work with creating consumer awareness on the importance of the safety features in the new vehicles, in order to create pressure on the manufactures to not to compromise safety in attempts to deliver vehicles at lowest price possible.
Safe Road Users activities include reviewing the current procedures for promoting the safe behaviours. We found out that the activities prescribed by the law are generally in line with what could be seen as the best practice (e.g. with regards to seat belt and helmet usage, drunk driving, speeding, etc.). However, their practical implementation is often very sporadic and compromised by issues like corruption. The driver education curriculum requires a major revision and should include training the higher-level skills (self-awareness, handling risk-taking impulses, social pressure, etc.) rather than focusing on vehicle manoeuvring only. AfroSAFE will continue with working on studying the role of the traffic safety culture and fatalism, and will also run several pilots focusing on empowering vulnerable road users, improving driving education and improving the safety culture in a transportation company.
With regards to post-crash care, AfroSAFE works with specific transportation corridors which are used as examples of how effective rescuing and medical help can be provided in situation of limited resources. An important aspect here is bringing together the various stakeholders involved in order to align their efforts in the most efficient way, but also to point out the ‘missing links’, the responsibility for which is not taken up properly by any of the stakeholders.
The capacity building focuses on ‘training-the-trainer’ approach. We have reviewed the current educations in traffic safety available and identified gaps and needs both in vocational and academic educations. AfroSAFE develops a curriculum for a master-level course in traffic safety which strictly adheres to Safe System principles. All the materials will be available under Creative Commons licence, free to use for African (and not only) academics who wish to start or improve their existing teaching of the traffic safety subject. The AfroSAFE Academy is a virtual excellence centre that joins African academics and practitioners and organises regular capacity- and knowledge-building activities such as webinars, conferences, courses, etc. The Academy was launched by the project in 2023, but now it is managed together with African academics who are not formally affiliated with the project. Our ambition is that it will continue to exist and make significant impact event when the project financing is over.
In relation to Safe Infrastructure, AfroSAFE has reviewed which infrastructure safety management tools are currently used in the African partner countries (e.g. black spot management, network safety assessments, safety audit and inspections, etc.), and also prepared guidelines for the missing tools. A general finding was that tools that do not require quality accident data (e.g. safety inspections) are already in use, while data-dependent tools are much less common. This strengthens the motivation for improving the quality of the accident databases in the African countries. Later in the project, we will provide training in the use of the missing tools and run several pilots to illustrate their usefulness.
When it comes to safe vehicles, AfroSAFE reviewed the standards and regulation related to the import of the used vehicles to Africa. Since most of the vehicles on the continent are second-(or even third- and more)hand, it is crucial that the most important safety equipment is present and functional before the vehicle is allowed in traffic. Later, the project will also work with creating consumer awareness on the importance of the safety features in the new vehicles, in order to create pressure on the manufactures to not to compromise safety in attempts to deliver vehicles at lowest price possible.
Safe Road Users activities include reviewing the current procedures for promoting the safe behaviours. We found out that the activities prescribed by the law are generally in line with what could be seen as the best practice (e.g. with regards to seat belt and helmet usage, drunk driving, speeding, etc.). However, their practical implementation is often very sporadic and compromised by issues like corruption. The driver education curriculum requires a major revision and should include training the higher-level skills (self-awareness, handling risk-taking impulses, social pressure, etc.) rather than focusing on vehicle manoeuvring only. AfroSAFE will continue with working on studying the role of the traffic safety culture and fatalism, and will also run several pilots focusing on empowering vulnerable road users, improving driving education and improving the safety culture in a transportation company.
With regards to post-crash care, AfroSAFE works with specific transportation corridors which are used as examples of how effective rescuing and medical help can be provided in situation of limited resources. An important aspect here is bringing together the various stakeholders involved in order to align their efforts in the most efficient way, but also to point out the ‘missing links’, the responsibility for which is not taken up properly by any of the stakeholders.
The capacity building focuses on ‘training-the-trainer’ approach. We have reviewed the current educations in traffic safety available and identified gaps and needs both in vocational and academic educations. AfroSAFE develops a curriculum for a master-level course in traffic safety which strictly adheres to Safe System principles. All the materials will be available under Creative Commons licence, free to use for African (and not only) academics who wish to start or improve their existing teaching of the traffic safety subject. The AfroSAFE Academy is a virtual excellence centre that joins African academics and practitioners and organises regular capacity- and knowledge-building activities such as webinars, conferences, courses, etc. The Academy was launched by the project in 2023, but now it is managed together with African academics who are not formally affiliated with the project. Our ambition is that it will continue to exist and make significant impact event when the project financing is over.
The project has published two scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and made presentations at three scientific conferences. Most of its pilots and training activities are not started yet or are in an early stage. The most significant achievement so far is the launch of the AfroSAFE Academy, a virtual excellence centre that joins African academics and practitioners. The Academy organises regular capacity- and knowledge-building activities such as webinars, conferences, courses, etc. While initially supported by the project, the is managed together with African academics who are not formally affiliated with the project. Our ambition is that it will continue to exist and make significant impact event when the project financing is over.