Increasing rate of road traffic accidents in Sub Saharan Africa, an issue of negligence or carelessness? Case study, Cameroon

Abstract

Objective: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) have over the years been on the rise with most casualties coming from the African region, even though they possess and utilize less cars than the developed countries. The purpose of this paper was to highlight the government's and civilians' negligence and carelessness in reducing the incidence of RTIs in Africa, using Cameroon as a case study. Methods of Review: This paper examined various literature searches from Science Direct, PubMed, World Health Organization official reports, Ministry of Public Health Cameroon reports, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Scopus. Results: The burden of RTIs is not only felt medically but economically as most victims are often left to cater for their injuries from their personal expenses with little or no government assistance. Although there is a significant lack of data on the exact number of deaths related to road traffic accidents due to poor reporting systems, a variety of factors account for this including; unequitable resource distribution, lack of well-trained paramedics, mismanaged funds, and improper, control, and management of existing road traffic policies. Conclusion: The steady rise in RTIs in Cameroon has cut short the lives of most young people, adversely affected Quality of Life, increased economic burden, we are confident that the best approach to reducing the fatality rate from road accidents is by reviewing and amending policies governing transport systems in Cameroon.