The National Safety Partnership of Liberia (NASAPAL) has officially submitted a comprehensive petition to the Liberian Legislature, urging deliberate actions to enhance public safety, with a keen focus on road safety.
This move aligns Liberia with a global initiative led by civil society organizations to make roads safer worldwide. The petition is part of a critical global campaign dubbed #CommitToAct, where civil society organizations worldwide have mobilized to bring attention to the realities of road journeys. In this effort, volunteers across various countries are documenting the movement of road users, including both vehicles and pedestrians.This data collection, which encompasses photos, pedestrian counts, and the status of traffic calming measures, will be shared with the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety.
NASAPAL, Liberia’s road safety organization which joined the Global Alliance, has been actively involved in gathering strategic data for the #CommitToAct campaign. Since its registration in October 2013, NASAPAL has collaborated with ordinary citizens and the government to address public safety challenges.
Founders of NASAPAL conducted a public safety survey from 2007 to 2010 across several counties, including Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Montserrado, highlighting critical deficiencies in road safety awareness and enforcement. The institution survey revealed alarming statistics which show that over 90% of drivers were self-taught, more than 95% of drivers and pedestrians lacked knowledge of their road responsibilities, over 90% of drivers were unaware of Liberia’s road policies. According to NASAPAL more than 85% of road users were uninformed about vehicle insurance relevance, while the government maintained inadequate records of road incidents.
The road safety advocacy group outlines twelve crucial actions for the Legislature including strict enforcement of road safety laws, imposing harsher penalties, including manslaughter charges for reckless drivers as well as standardized drivers’ education curricula.
NASAPAL wants the Legislature enact laws that will affect development of uniform educational materials for driver training, increased budget for safety agencies, enhanced funding for frontline public safety institutions, insurance policy outreach, strengthening insurance firms’ engagement with road users. In its advocacy, the National Safety Partnership of Liberia (NASAPAL) is requesting the legislature enact lawn in ensuring mandatory training for all road users, equal access and understanding of road usage, nationwide road regulations education, teaching road safety regulations across the country to reduce violence and accidents.
Their petition presented to the House of Representatives highlighted subsidizing drivers’ education through government-funded driver training programs, enactment of alcohol and tobacco control laws to foster regulating the sale of these products to enhance public safety.
The petition presented today, May 23, 2024 looked at improving police salaries to raise salaries to discourage bribery, accountability for police officers by disrobing corrupt officers and mandating body cameras to monitor their conduct.
The pro-road safety advocate group wants enhanced civic education, promoting respect for law and order, contributing to sustainable communities and decentralize public transportation through expanding public transport services to reach all regions of Liberia.
NASAPAL’s petition is a clarion call for immediate and comprehensive reforms. It emphasizes the necessity of collaboration between civil society, the government, and the public to ensure safer roads and communities.
With these measures, NASAPAL aims to significantly reduce road-related fatalities and injuries, ultimately fostering a safer and more orderly Liberia.
