NGO: Road accidents are leading cause of death for 15-19 year olds in Egypt

The “We’re All Responsible” conference, organized by the NADA Foundation for Safer Egyptian Roads, announced that road accidents are the leading cause of deaths among teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, and the second leading cause of death for children between 5 and 14 years old, privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Transport and the Automobile and Touring Club in Egypt. 

During the conference, founder of the Nada Foundation, Nehad Shelbaya, emphasized the importance of having public dialogue on the issue of road accidents in Egypt. 

“Through efforts on Egyptian streets, collaborations with individuals, civil society organizations, the public sector and the government, the Nada foundation aims at raising awareness regarding the importance of minimizing road accidents, encouraging citizens to change practices that lead to accidents, and working on reducing numbers of victims of accidents through initiating positive changes to the entire road system in Egypt,” she said. 

Vice president of the organization, Ahmed Shelbaya, added that some of organization's main challenges include dealing with the safety hazards posed by trucks and larger vehicles on roads, ensuring that adequate health care is provided to victims of accidents, pushing for regular road maintenance, and encouraging private sector companies to be involved in road-safety initatives.

This is not the first time shocking figures related to car accidents in Egypt are released. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 12,000 fatalities occur each year as a result of traffic accidents. The study suggested that reasons other than human error were a factor.

In September 2013, Transportation Minister Hany Dahy made statements at the "Egypt: Road to the Future" conference, saying that problems with infrastructure account for over 15 percent of road accidents each year in Egypt.

A government report released in March 2014 by the Ministries of Interior and Transportation claimed that the majority of Egypt’s road and railway accidents are caused by human error. The report explained that human error is responsible for 62 percent of accidents, while technical problems account for 16 percent and road conditions contribute to a further 1.8 percent.