By Washira Helene
A Cameroonian man who is tired of the rampant road accidents in the country says he believes Cameroon is on track to set a new ‘World Record’ for road accidents in 2023.
Cameroon is currently ranked 18th in the world by the World Population Review, with a death rate of 27.60 per 100.000. Some experts feel that these records do not represent the actual situation in Cameroon as many road accidents go unreported.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he has been keeping track of road accidents in Cameroon since the beginning of the year, and he has been shocked by the number of accidents that have occurred.
“I have never seen anything like it,” he told MMI adding, “There have been accidents every day, and the death toll is mounting.”
According to him, the high number of road accidents in Cameroon is due to a number of factors, including poor road infrastructure, reckless driving, and non-enforcement of traffic laws.
“The government needs to do something to address this problem,” he said. “We cannot afford to have so many people dying on our roads.”
“I am tired of seeing people die on our roads,” he added. “I am calling on the government to take action, and I am calling on Cameroonians to be more careful when they are on the road.”
The man’s comments come as Cameroon is bracing for the peak of the rainy season, which is typically a time when the number of road accidents skyrockets.
In 2022, Cameroon recorded over 10,000 road accidents, resulting in over 5,000 deaths. If the current trend continues, Cameroon is on track to break the ‘Guinness World Record’ for road accidents in 2023.
The last record held by the Guinness World Record for the Highest Road Fatality rate is for the year 2000 when Mauritius bagged the infamous award with 43.9 people per 100.000
“The country with the highest mortality rate caused by road traffic injury is Mauritius with 43.9 per 100,000 people in 2000. This is according to the World Health Organisation’s World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, released in April 2004 for data available for the most recent year between 1992-2002,” explains GWR.
Should trends continue, Cameroonians fear that the country will surpass this record in 2023.
The Cameroonian who spoke to MMI is, therefore, calling on the government to take action to address the problem of road accidents. He is urging the government to improve road infrastructure, crack down on reckless driving, and enforce traffic laws.
He is also calling on Cameroonians to be more careful when they are on the road. He said that people need to be aware of the dangers of driving, and they need to take steps to avoid accidents.
It is important to note that the government recently announced they’ll be training 240 road safety experts in Cameroon before this year runs out.
