The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has revealed that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 would be very difficult if significant actions are not expedited on sustainable mobility framework within the context of road safety.

Contained in a statement by Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the Corps Marshal mentioned this in a lecture titled; ” Road Safety: Highway to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals” delivered on Thursday, during the 2019 University of Lagos Global Conference, The Lagos Region.

Oyeyemi revealed that the grim statistics of current road safety situation shows that meaningful development and attainment of the SDGs could suffer significant setbacks if road safety is not seen and addressed properly. He called on all stakeholders to expedite actions on safe road infrastructure because

Road safety is a veritable variable for Achieving the SDGs.

” The broad objectives of Road Safety can be situated within 8 of the 17 SDGs, namely Goals 2,3,4,8,11,13,16, and 17 and the safe system approach which is made up of safer road, safer vehicles, safer road use and safer speed, is key to the realisation of the SDGs”. He added.

He pointed out that without improved and  sustained action, road traffic crashes (RTC) are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Presently, nearly half of the dying population on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, children, cyclists,and motorcyclists. RTCs cost most countries 3% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Highlighting the role of Road Transport Sector as an important component of the Nigerian economy, Oyeyemi said “The Sector has impacted on development and welfare of the people and it is a major prerequisite for the development of the nation. It is heavily depended upon for movements, haulage/cargo and freight services in the country. ”

It is therefore most important to note that road safety has become an imperative safety need worldwide due to increased mobility challenges occasioned by inappropriate road design, usage and behaviour of road users. In Nigeria for example, an estimated 99% of passengers and freight rely on the road network, with attendant challenges. As such, for there to be reasonable gains at all levels of our national live, the country must embrace critical sustainable mobility solutions that prioritizes road safety. He concluded