By Mabinty M. Kamara
As part of the drive to standardize and strengthen the operations of the Sierra Leone’s Road Safety Authority, its management has called for the establishment of an independent academy to train its corps.
The Road safety corps of the authority are currently trained by the Sierra Leone Police on how to manage traffic and ensure road safety across the country.
However, the Executive Director of the Authority, Ibrahim Sannoh said that to improve road safety management standards, there was need for an academy to offer specialized road safety training to its staff.
Sannoh made this statement while addressing stakeholders in road safety issues including the Sierra Leone Police, Drivers Union, amongst others at a joint meeting held in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation on Thursday 6th May at the Launching of the institution’s strategic plan spanning from 2020 to 2025.
“In resetting the Road safety management standards, we also want to have our own road safety academy. The Police have their own academy, the Military has its own academy and all of these people are being trained by experienced and renowned military personnel. The SLRSA currently is being trained by the Police,” he said.
Sannoh emphatically expressed the Authority’s desire for an academy of its own saying “we believe even though our activities are similar and shared, but we believe that there are a host of other activities that we embark on now that is far from the role of the police so it is against that drive that we want to have our own academy to have trained and safety experts who have knowledge in curbing road safety issues.”
The strategic document has four main objectives one of which is improving the Road Safety Management Standards, which entails road safety education in a bid to reduce fatal crashes on the roads, Revenue Generation, MIS and Automated Integrated System which includes the use of digital and computerized system to monitor and enforce road safety regulations, partnership and capacity building.
The executive Director therefore called on the support of the government and the media to ensure that the strategic document is fully implemented to get the desired impact.
Speaking at the Ceremony, the Minister of Internal Affairs, David Panda Noah noted the devastating effects that road crashes have over the years had on the lives of Sierra Leoneans mostly family heads due to human errors on the road.
He therefore called on the media to support and join in the road safety education and sensitization such as the recent operation launched that is aimed at decongesting the Central Business District of Freetown of commercial motorbikes which led to attacks on security personnel.
As he launched the strategic document, the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Kabineh Kallon said that road crashes have become the major causes of death among children and young adults between ages 5 to 29. He added that the Authority recorded 867 fatalities and 1,604 injuries in 2020 reason for which he said Sierra Leone is joining the global community in commemorating the 6th Annual United Nations Global Road Safety Week which will commence from 17 to 23rd May this year.
“In acknowledgement of the many road safety issues facing the nation, and the desire of our government to ensure the safety of it citizens, my ministry has declared the month of May as national safety month. This will ensure adequate space is provided for a much needed national dialogue on road safety, the review of laws on road safety and provide a much needed spotlight on speeding on our urban and rural roads,” he said.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online 07/05/21
