Algeria globally 3rd in number of road deaths

Sources in the National Gendarmerie in Algeria have presented reports showing an increase of 11.58 percent  in road accidents this year compared to the previous one. The same sources said that Algeria registered approximately 12,407 accidents in the period between January 1 and June 30, 2012 in comparison to last year where there were 11,119 accidents in the same period. With the rate of 20 accidents every 20 minutes, 1 death every 3 hours and 1 injured every 15 minutes, Algeria ranks third internationally in the number of deaths by road accidents. In the last six months, 1659 died and 21,363 were injured. Reports say human error accounts for 89 percent of accidents -- the most important causes were rash driving, high speed and driving while tired or drunk. The remaining accidents were caused due to automobile failure (6.25 percent), the status of the road and bad weather (4.17 percent). The director of the Algerian ‘Centre National de Prévention et de Sécurité Routières’ (CNPSR) (National Centre for Road Safety and Prevention), Abdel Salam Hariti that traffic accidents in Algeria lead to an estimated loss of $2.5billion yearly. The debate over driving schools has also escalated, with many accused of being weekly structured. Specialists are now demanding a review of their work. The great increase in the accidents comes despite the Algerian parliament’s strict amendments to the traffic law of 2009 of up to 10 years of prison for homicides in road accidents, in addition to the withdrawal of the driving licence which has become very common in Algeria without an effective contribution to the reduction of the problem. Algeria also plans to introduce a law that deducts points related to the driving licence which is awaiting government approval. On the other hand, specialists have stated that awareness campaigns organised for the prevention of road accidents are not strong enough to change the driver’s behaviour even if it has improved in terms of quantity during the last few years. They also stress on the need to accelerate the adoption of a more strict strategy, hoping to limit the danger in the country's roads.