Aspects of road safety in Botswana

The present paper analyses aspects of road safety in Botswana. In this country, the number of deaths from road accidents is relatively high compared with other African countries. The main causes of accidents are speeding and drunken driving and the increasing traffic congestion during rush hours in the urban areas. The paper describes the current situation and the road safety policy, and discusses the need to improve road safety in the country. It recommends emphasising road injury prevention, encouraging the use of public transport because it is safer, setting quantitative targets for reducing road traffic fatalities, and establishing a Road Traffic Council.