Bridging the know–do gap in African road safety through social work

Abstract

The global road safety crisis disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, with relatively low rates of vehicle ownership, Africa bears a disproportionate burden of annual road fatalities per population. Transportation and public health professionals have long been aware of the behavioral aspects of the global road safety epidemic. Successful collaboration of social work and public health in Africa is well documented. Road safety presents an opportunity for interdisciplinary research and practice with road safety professionals to bridge the know–do gap that continues to challenge progress toward reducing the burden of injuries and deaths attributable to crashes.