Health promotion activities in the area of road safety in Cameroon: linked to the action areas of the Ottawa charter for health promotion: a commentary

Abstract

About 1.3 million people die globally and about 24 million are injured as a result of road accidents. Over 90% of these road accidents occur in low-and middle-income countries, even though these countries account for only 48% of the world’s registered vehicles. In Cameroon, only 45% of motorable roads are effectively maintained. These deficiencies in maintenance have left Cameroon’s road network in relatively poor conditions. This poor condition of roads, coupled with other factors, could be a recipe for frequent road accidents, which is one of the leading causes of death. This paper commented on the road safety situation in Cameroon and recommended solutions based on the five key areas of the Ottawa charter for health promotion. The main problem with road safety in Cameroon is the enforcement of laws and regulations. The government should enforce policies on overloading, over-speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a helmet or seat-belt and vehicle road worthiness to curb frequent road accidents, create the enabling environment to enforce road safety, strengthen community action towards road safety, develop personal skills for drivers, the populace and law enforcement agencies to practice road safety and reorient the health services regarding road safety.