ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS RAISES CONCERNS IN MALAWI

​

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS RAISES CONCERN

A nation's most valuable resource is its people. Most would agree that the most horrifying dangers are those unforeseen and can be inflicted in a heartbeat on a routine day. This is what makes Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) disturbing. 8th July, 2021... an unforgetable day for Emmanuel Phiri and his family. He had been in the exclusion mode for months now. Challenges emanating from his injury comtinues to spread at a slow burn; intermittent financial hiccups, sub-contractors to assist in his work are the new normal now. 

He did not see it coming, he shocked by the sight of it, and he will never forget the experience. "I was coming from town on a motorcycle when in front of us was coming another motorcycle on a fast speed, before I know it, I was lying on the ground... the two motorcycles had head collided," explained Emmanuel. Emmanuel Phiri has four children, two in secondary school and two boys still in primary. 

Being the man of the house, the provider and breadwinner, Emmanuel's injury brought misery to his family as a lot of activities are on a cessation. "What I was capable of doing before the injury, I cannot do it now which has changed my financial status and that of my family. My life, including that of my family has really changed, I was able to do some work that was generating money for the family but as of todau I cannot do such works because of the injury," he said.

The future of people with such road traffic injuries depends on a lot of uncertainties, including whether people develop lasting financial immunity, whether starting small scale businesses and possibly most importantly- the choices made by the government and individuals. Emmanuel said, "Since my mobility skills are limited, I advised my wife to start a business in order to curb some of the challenges the family is going through.  It is a tough experience but we are managing."

Malawi has over the past months registered a tremendous increase in RTA, raising concerns from the stakeholders in the country including the Malawi Orthopeadic Association (MOA) which is providing clinical care in the country. "We are facing a lot of injuries at the moment, compared to the past, almost 80% to 90% of the patients admitted in the hospitals because of injuries are from RTA," Explained Master Yesaya, MOA's chairperson.

Most of road traffic deaths are amongst pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists who are still pften neglected in road traffic systems. 2018's Global Status Report on Road Safety indicated that, RTA still remains the number one cause of death for children and young udults 5- 29 years of age.

While there are efforts and progress worldwide, however, it is far from uniform across countries, other countries have reached a low level of cases- after improved traffic systems and increased restrictions on usage of some models of vehicles. In Malawi, despite improved quality of road networks, RTA are still escalating. "The development comes in as a result of negligence from the government which fails to implement strict measures on the traffic systems in the country that will improve the current status of RTA, we have motorcyclists moving about so recklessly on the roads without helmets and licenses yet we expect a decrease in RTA. Until the government act accordingly, we are in fora long haul," anonymous. "Clearly, there is a strong consciousness of danger here. But it is covered in Disney smile," He said.