Areas of Impact
Country
Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of premature death and disability in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the region recording the highest road traffic fatality rate globally. Vulnerable road users—particularly motorcyclists, pedestrians, cyclists, children, and youth—bear a disproportionate share of this burden. While many countries have adopted national road safety strategies, weak or outdated legislative frameworks and inconsistent enforcement continue to limit progress, especially in relation to helmet use and speed management.
This UN Road Safety Fund–supported project addresses these systemic gaps by strengthening national road safety legislation and enforcement capacity in Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. The project focuses on two proven, cost-effective interventions—helmet use and speed management—that have a significant impact on reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries when supported by strong legal frameworks and effective enforcement.
Implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, the project supports governments to review and align national laws with WHO recommendations and UN legal instruments, including international helmet standards. It promotes inclusive, multisectoral legislative reform processes involving transport, health, justice, law enforcement, and civil society actors, ensuring country ownership and sustainability.
In parallel, the project strengthens law enforcement capacity through targeted training, ethical enforcement practices, and pilot initiatives to improve compliance with speed and helmet regulations. Advocacy, community engagement, and strategic communications are integrated throughout implementation to build political commitment and public support for reform, while ensuring that the voices of vulnerable road users are reflected in policy outcomes.
By addressing upstream legal and institutional barriers, the project creates an enabling environment for safer road use, improved compliance, and long-term reductions in road traffic deaths and injuries. It directly contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.6 and 11.2 and supports the objectives of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, laying the foundation for scalable and sustainable road safety improvements across the region.
1
STRENGTHEN NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY LEGISLATION ON HELMET USE, HELMET STANDARDS, AND SPEED MANAGEMENT BY ALIGNING LAWS AND REGULATIONS WITH WHO RECOMMENDATIONS AND RELEVANT UN LEGAL INSTRUMENTS.
2
ENHANCE LAW ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR COMPLIANCE WITH HELMET AND SPEED LAWS EFFECTIVELY, ETHICALLY, AND CONSISTENTLY AT NATIONAL AND SUB-NATIONAL LEVELS.
3
BUILD POLITICAL COMMITMENT AND PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ROAD SAFETY REFORMS THROUGH TARGETED ADVOCACY, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, AND INCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH CIVIL SOCIETY AND AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.
4
IMPROVE INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATION AND GOVERNANCE ACROSS TRANSPORT, HEALTH, JUSTICE, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SECTORS TO SUPPORT COHERENT IMPLEMENTATION OF LEGISLATIVE REFORMS.
5
STRENGTHEN NATIONAL CAPACITIES FOR MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING TO TRACK PROGRESS, INFORM POLICY ADJUSTMENTS, AND DOCUMENT RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED.
6
PROMOTE REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND SCALABILITY BY SHARING BEST PRACTICES, TOOLS, AND EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT REPLICATION OF EFFECTIVE LEGISLATIVE AND ENFORCEMENT REFORMS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
