Safer & cleaner used vehicles for Africa
The UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) is launching the new project “Safer and cleaner used vehicles for Africa” implemented by UNEP and in partnership with UNECE, UNECA, WHO, The Fédération Internationale automobile (FIA), CITA, International Transport Forum (ITF), and FIA Foundation.
The initiative intents to regulate the export & import of used vehicles in West and East Africa, in countries such as Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire or Uganda, implementing requirements to ensure that participating countries only receive quality used vehicles: save lives of both car drivers and other road users is the main goal.
The project will develop a program bringing exporters, mainly the European Union, the United States and Japan, and African importing countries together, to agree to adhere to a minimum level of UN regulations for used vehicles. It will support African countries to develop and implement national regulations, including vehicle labelling, inspection and enforcement. Moreover, it will also create awareness among stakeholders about the issues and promote a harmonized approach with regional and national communication campaigns.
Ensuring a minimum set of operational safety features leads to a 30% reduction in mortality and morbidity, according to a study of the Transport Research Laboratory looking at the impact of UN regulations on road safety. Periodic technical inspection also decreases the number of vehicles involved in fatal accidents due to technical defects by 50%. Ensuring vehicles are equipped with well-functioning equipment to reduce emissions, e.g. exhaust filters, results in emissions reductions of up to 90% (compared to vehicles not equipped with filters or equipped with non-working filters).
About the UN Road Safety Fund
Established in April 2018, the United Nations Road Safety Fund aims to contribute to two major outcomes, assisting UN Member states to (a) substantially curb the number of fatalities and injuries from road traffic crashes, as well as (b) reduce economic losses resulting from these crashes. Building on the best practices and expertise developed through the Decade of Action for Road Safety, the Trust Fund will focus on supporting concrete actions helping to achieve the road safety-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Secretariat of the Fund is hosted by UNECE.