The Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail in collaboration with several stakeholders organised a series of activities for Senior Citizens in a bid to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2022, this morning, at the Municipal Council of Beau Bassin-Rose-Hill, Plaza in Rose-Hill.
In his keynote address, Mr Alan Ganoo observed that this year, there has been around 91 fatalities due to road traffic crashes in Mauritius. However, statistics indicate that the number of fatalities this year, compared to the previous years has decreased considerably, he said.
“Last year, the fatalities were around 108, and before that, it was an average of 130. Therefore, reducing the number of killed and serious injury crashes remains a top priority for the Government,” the Minister stressed.
On this score, Mr Ganoo emphasised that with a view to continue to reduce the number of road accidents, his Ministry has come up with a series of measures, namely: sensitisation campaigns; regular enforcement of traffic laws activities including crackdown operations; strengthening of road traffic legislation as regards speed limit among others, and; introduction of road safety education in all primary schools.
He also spoke of the Road Safety Observatory comprising a range of highly competent technical staff from various fields of expertise, including lecturers from the University of Mauritius and which can contribute in finding ways of reducing road fatalities in Mauritius.
As regards the welfare of the elderly, he dwelt on some of the initiatives that have been implemented by the Government to ease their way of life in relation to road safety and travelling.
For her part, Minister Jeewa-Daureeawoo highlighted that the driving culture in Mauritius should be changed as many people are involved in careless driving which result in fatalities on the road. She reiterated that saving the lives of people and road safety should be a matter of concern for each one.
The Minister also informed that the average number of road accidents worldwide is around 1.3 million and, in Mauritius, statistics demonstrate that since January 2022 up to now, there have been 16134 road accidents including 16 accidents implying Senior Citizens. On that note, she appealed to the population to adopt safe driving practices to fight the scourge of road accidents.
She also indicated that this Day offers an opportunity to pay tribute to road victims and all those who deal with the traumatic aftermath of road accidents as well as to ponder on how to work together in a bid to reduce road casualties.
As regards the security of Elderly persons in Mauritius, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo stressed that the Government will be intransigent on any form of abuse that could be inflicted on our Seniors and to that end, a mobile application was recently launched so that elderly persons can report any form of abuse they suffer from.
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2022
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year. It is a high-profile global event to remember many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families, and communities around the world.
A Mass followed by a March from La Famille Church to Gandhi Square, Rose Belle on Sunday 20 November 2022;
A function for Senior Citizens in Rose-Hill on Monday 21 November 2022 and;
An Award Ceremony for Slam Competition on Road Safety at Wolmar Public Beach on Friday 25 November 2022.
