Amend, an international NGO, and the Zambia Road Safety Trust, a local NGO, have today launched a road safety program that provides lifesaving infrastructure and road safety education to benefit primary schoolchildren at high risk of road traffic injury in Lusaka, Zambia. The program, which is supported by FedEx Express, aims to implement proven effective road safety measures around the Justin Kabwe Primary School in Lusaka and surrounding areas.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.2 million people die on the world’s roads every year[1]. Reports indicate that during the second quarter of 2017, a total number 7,252 road traffic accidents were recorded across Zambia[2], with child pedestrians among the highest at-risk group and that a child in Africa is twice as likely to die on the roads compared to a child in any other region of the world
This is why FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, is working together with NGOs to improve pedestrian infrastructure around the Justin Kabwe Primary School.
After conducting a school-area site analysis and consulting with the government and the community, footpaths, a raised zebra crossing, rumble strips, road signs, and bollards were installed. These measures are proven effective in reducing road traffic injuries among child pedestrians by separating children from traffic, slowing traffic where children and traffic interact, and alerting drivers to the presence of child pedestrians.
A recent study into the effectiveness of this approach, with customized road safety education together with the delivery of light infrastructure improvements, showed that it results in more than 26% reduction in injuries among children. These activities at and around the Justin Kabwe Primary School highlight the simple and effective measures which can be implemented to reduce the incidence of road traffic injuries amongst children.
“‘Safety Above All’ is a core FedEx belief, and it is the reason why we support initiatives that promote road safety in the communities in which we live and work across the globe. We encourage all organizations involved to continuously drive the initiative by educating students about safe road habits and practices,’ said Mike Higley, vice president, FedEx Express, Southern Africa. “According to the Global Network for road safety legislators, the United Nations aims to halve road deaths by 2020. There has never been a stronger mandate for all countries to take action, and both the government and private sector have a role to play to make this a reality[4].”
FedEx support for the safe school area program is part of company’s FedEx Cares initiative, a commitment to invest $200 million in 200 communities around the world by 2020. Road safety is one of five focus areas.
The Honorable Brian Mushimba, MP, Zambia Minister of Transport and Communications said, “I want to congratulate the partnership of our local NGO, the Zambia Road Safety Trust, the international NGO Amend, and FedEx for coming together to help protect the children at this school. I hope that in the future the strong partnerships built in this implementation of this school zone will act as a foundation for future collaborations between stakeholders at all levels. I would like to thank FedEx once again for this generous gesture.”
“Ensuring the safety of the people in our global network is an important job, and one that we take seriously[5]. We integrate safety into everything we do, which is why we are committed to ensuring that we support the education of children to keep them safe on the roads,” Higley added.
Good works, thanks FED EX.