An average of three fatal road accidents happened every week on the Brufut-Kartong highway, a new study finds. 

The research carried out by Save Life Gambia highlights the need for urgent lifesaving measures to be taken to address the rising rate of road accidents in the country.

Dawda Bah, a senior official of Save Life Gambia, said: “We are calling for pressing action on Brufut-Kartong road. We are calling for speed bumps to be erected.

“It is urgent because low speeds save lives. Communities sighted along Brufut-Kartong road are most exposed to high-speed traffic, and the road danger, environmental hazard and social exclusion it causes.”

Mr Bah added: “For every life that is lost in a road crash in The Gambia, at least two other relatives or dependents have their sources of daily bread taken away and dreams shattered. 

He urged the National Road Authority and the Ministry of Transport to address this problem of fatal road accidents in the country.

“It is a fact that carnages on the country’s roads will not be dealt with if the above mentioned institutions do not commit to the progress. 

“For a country whose economy is labour intensive, the continuous loss of citizens through road traffic fatalities has a huge impact on the growth rate of the economy.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba