Mauritius: The Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail, in collaboration with several stakeholders, organised a series of activities for Senior Citizens in a bid to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2022 this morning at the Municipal Council of Beau Bassin-Rose-Hill, Plaza in Rose-Hill.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo; Member of Parliament, Mr Ivan Leslie Collendavelloo, Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mrs Marie Christiane Dorinne Chukowry, and other eminent personalities were present on occasion.
In his keynote address, Mr Ganoo observed that this year, there had been around 91 fatalities due to road traffic crashes in Mauritius. However, statistics indicate that the number of fatalities this year, compared to the previous years, has decreased considerably, he said.
“Last year, the fatalities were around 108, and before that, it was an average of 130. Therefore, reducing the number of killed and serious injury crashes remains a top priority for the Government,” the Minister stressed.
On this score, Mr Ganoo emphasised that with a view to continuing to reduce the number of road accidents, his Ministry has come up with a series of measures, namely: sensitisation campaigns; regular enforcement of traffic laws activities including crackdown operations; strengthening of road traffic legislation as regards speed limit among others, and; introduction of road safety education in all primary schools.
He also spoke of the Road Safety Observatory, comprising a range of highly competent technical staff from various fields of expertise, including lecturers from the University of Mauritius and which can contribute to finding ways of reducing road fatalities in Mauritius.
As regards the welfare of the elderly, he dwelt on some of the initiatives that have been implemented by the Government to ease their way of life in relation to road safety and travelling.
These include: the allocation of Rs 500 million out of a budget of 1.2 billion voted yearly under the Free Travel Scheme only for senior citizens to travel free of charge by bus or by Metro Express Limited; an increase in the Old Age Pension by Rs1000 for those above 60 years and by Rs 2000 for those above 65 years; the setting up of 100 bus shelters around the island in collaboration with Private sectors in the coming months and; the setting up of a Disciplinary Committee to sanction and supervise bus owners and conductors who misbehave with senior citizens.
In addition, the Minister indicated that to increase the comfort of passengers who travel by bus, the Government, for the past nine years, has invested nearly Rs 396 million in helping private bus operators buy new buses. “At the last Cabinet meeting, the Government has allocated Rs 70 million for the purchase of new buses by private bus operators for this year,” he stated.
Semi-low floor buses have also been introduced in Mauritius so that passengers, in particular, senior citizens and disabled persons, do not find it difficult to climb on board buses, Mr Ganoo added.
For her part, Minister Jeewa-Daureeawoo highlighted that the driving culture in Mauritius should be changed as many people are involved in careless driving, which results in fatalities on the road. She reiterated that saving the lives of people and road safety should be a matter of concern for each and every one.
The Minister also informed that the average number of road accidents worldwide is around 1.3 million and, in Mauritius, statistics demonstrate that since January 2022 up to now, there have been 16134 road accidents, including 16 accidents implying Senior Citizens. On that note, she appealed to the population to adopt safe driving practices so as to fight the scourge of road accidents.
She also indicated that this Day offers an opportunity to pay tribute to road victims and all those who deal with the traumatic aftermath of road accidents, as well as to ponder on how to work together in a bid to reduce road casualties.
As regards the security of Elderly persons in Mauritius, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo stressed that the Government would be intransigent on any form of abuse that could be inflicted on our Seniors and to that end, a mobile application was recently launched so that elderly persons can report any form of abuse they suffer from.
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2022
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year. It is a high-profile global event to remember many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities around the world.
The theme chosen for this year is “We do NOT want MORE victims to remember; we want to live our lives TOGETHER”. To commemorate this Day, the Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail, in collaboration with several stakeholders, organised a series of activities as follows:
A Mass followed by a March from La Famille Church to Gandhi Square, Rose Belle, on Sunday, 20 November 2022;
A function for Senior Citizens in Rose-Hill on Monday, 21 November 2022 and;
An Award Ceremony for Slam Competition on Road Safety at Wolmar Public Beach on Friday, 25 November 2022.