New research highlights troubling gaps in news coverage of road safety across Africa, where road traffic deaths have surged by 17% between 2010 and 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This alarming statistic underlines what many experts are calling a growing public health crisis, with the African region representing nearly one fifth of the global tally of nearly 1.2 million road deaths annually, all from just 3% of the world's vehicles.
The study, titled "Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Road Collisions and Road Safety in Africa," sheds light on the pervasive shortcomings of news reports from five Anglophone African countries. With nearly 1,000 analyzed stories from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania, the research demonstrates how the media's portrayal largely overlooks the preventable nature of these deaths.
Dr. Nhan Tran, Head of Safety and Mobility at WHO, emphasized the media's responsibility to inform the public fully: “This landmark study – the first of its kind ever undertaken in Africa – shows when itcomes to road safety, the news must catch up with the science.”
Despite the staggering data surrounding road crashes, only 14% of reports acknowledged road safety laws as contributing factors. This omission is stark when one considers the systemic challenges involved, such as inadequate infrastructure and enforcement of traffic laws. Instead, 45% of news stories pinned blame predominantly on poor driver behavior, often perpetuating victim-blaming narratives. Collisions frequently frame pedestrian deaths as individual failings rather than spotlighting missing footpaths or lack of safe crossings.
The economic ramifications of road crashes are equally imperative: costs approximate 3% to 5% of the respective affected countries’ Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Yet, only 4% of news reports mentioned the economic toll or consequences for health services. The media's failure to connect these dots results in misunderstanding the urgency needed to address this crisis.
Further compounding the issue is the prevalence of the term “accident” over “crash” or “collision” within 50% of articles examined. This language choice, as highlighted by Dr. Tran, obscures the fact: road deaths are preventable. “People will always make mistakes on the roads but we canensure our transport systems absorb errors,” he explained. Accurate terminology and thorough reporting can change perceptions, encouraging discussions around systemic solutions.
Research indicates simple editorial changes can boost public awareness, aiding efforts to reshape narratives surrounding road safety as preventable public health issues. A proactive example is the Associated Press's stance on using "crash" instead of "accident"; this shift is gaining traction among various media organizations.
These findings and recommendations come at a pivotal time, as the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety approaches this February in Marrakech, Morocco. The conference aims to develop strategies to shift the public and media narrative toward road safety, addressing long-term solutions. Notable speakers include Dr. Tran, Abdessadek Maafa from Morocco's National Road Safety Agency, and BBC Africa Health Correspondent Dorcas Wangira.
The WHO, along with partnerships such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, continues to prioritize enhancing the quality of road safety reporting. Their efforts focus on training journalists and providing resources, data, and tools to effectively communicate the road safety crisis and advocate for life-saving policies.
While reporting on road safety may seem like just another beat, it carries grave life-and-death consequences. Public perception shaped by media plays a decisive role not only on the awareness but also on policy actions taken at all levels. Therefore, the task before African media is monumental: to report not only the tragedies but also to highlight the preventable nature of road deaths and fight for necessary changes to protect lives on the roads.