Africa-Press – Angola. The minister of the Interior, Manuel Homem, on Thursday in Luanda recommended police officers to reinforce traffic control, inspection and awareness-raising with the objective to reduce road accidents, which annually cause more than three thousand deaths and around 16 thousand injuries.
The minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Road Safety Program, which aims to combat accidents on national roads, under the motto “Change before it’s too late.”
According to him, the campaign is intended to respond to the “alarming” road accidents rate in the country, currently the second leading cause of death, surpassed only by malaria.
“Road accidents are a silent epidemic, a tragedy that weakens society, leaves scars on families, and compromises the future of our country”, he stated.
The minister stated that the program strengthens police action in traffic control, inspection, enforcement, and awareness raising, promoting a more comprehensive understanding, integrated with other sectors and with a strong appeal to citizenship and collective responsibility.
“This is a commitment to social peace. Road safety is, above all, a matter of public health and national security”, he emphasized.
According to the minister, more than 70% of accidents are caused by reckless human behaviour, such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, improper cell phone use, illegal overtaking, and failure to wear a seatbelt or helmet.
The program will be coordinated by the General Command of the National Police, in partnership with various ministries, civil society organizations, religious, cultural and traditional authorities, educational institutions, and the media to raise awareness among citizens.
He emphasized that the campaign seeks to raise awareness that road safety does not depend solely on the authorities, but on everyone.
“Prevention is not an individual gesture, it is a collective pact for life. Every citizen, driver or individual, has a duty to adopt responsible behavior on the road”, he added.
To the minister, the initiative also represents an institutional shift, promoting a new culture of transparency, proximity, and accountability between traffic regulators and citizens.
“We want to replace distrust with trust, indifference with collaboration, and negligence with responsibility”, concluded the minister.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
