Egypt's Bloody Roads
Egypt's Bloody Roads
From the moment you step into Egypt, you’ll know that it is a very dangerous place to be on the roads. In fact statistics indicates that Egypt has the highest traffic accidents in the world. Just yesterday two seperate bus crashes killed 32 including 14 tourists.
The problem stems from reckless driving due to high speed, ignorance, driving under the influence and lack of respect for human life. There are not enough laws to improve the safety conditions of the roads. One of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads are those microbuses that transport commuters between cities. They are crowded and drive very fast risking the life of everyone on board. What makes the problem worse is that driver often smoke hashish and other illegal substances that impair their driving ability.
On my first trip to Egypt after a long absence I hired a limo from Cairo Airport to Alexandria, and I could not believe how fast he was driving and how many close calls we had until we reached home. On Egyptian highway you’ll see people driving in the wrong direction, pedestrian crossing the road with their stock animals etc. Traffic signs are useless because many drivers are illiterate. The concept of driving in lane does not exist in Egypt, because many roads don’t have them and if they do, people don’t use them. The lack of “driving education” is a big contributor to the problem. Many cars in Egypt are not equipped with seat belts making accidents deadlier.
The following are some helpful hints to make your trip to Egypt safer
The following links talks about the topic more:
This article has some interesting information about the traffic in Egypt:
"A report released by the Egyptian Ministry of Transport in November 2005 estimated that 6,000 people die each year as a result of road accidents in Egypt and the annual economic loss caused by road loss is at least EGP 3 billion (equivalent to US$522 million) which amounts to 3% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. Around 30,000 people are also injured in road accidents each year, the report said."
You may want to read this one too
"In Egypt, for every 100 million kms driven, 43.2 people die, compared with 0.9 in Australia, for instance. Accident specialists maintain that more than 50 per cent of the victims are in their mid-20s, and that one-fifth of children between one and five-years-old who die in hospitals are accident victims"
This article put the annual death toll at 8000
"Road accidents are frequent and increasing in Egypt because of factors including the poor condition or design of roads, dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, lane indiscipline, driving without lights at night, indifference to wearing seat belts, almost universal lack of safety helmets amongst motorcycle users , etc . Pedestrian behavior is equally to blame – pedestrians stand and talk in the roadway, dart across roads unexpectedly and children play in the street. Traffic Police statistics show that an estimated 8,000 people were killed and 32,000 injured in road accidents in Egypt in 2003 and the per capita road crash fatality rate is approximately 10.5 deaths per 100,000 population"
From the moment you step into Egypt, you’ll know that it is a very dangerous place to be on the roads. In fact statistics indicates that Egypt has the highest traffic accidents in the world. Just yesterday two seperate bus crashes killed 32 including 14 tourists.
The problem stems from reckless driving due to high speed, ignorance, driving under the influence and lack of respect for human life. There are not enough laws to improve the safety conditions of the roads. One of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads are those microbuses that transport commuters between cities. They are crowded and drive very fast risking the life of everyone on board. What makes the problem worse is that driver often smoke hashish and other illegal substances that impair their driving ability.
On my first trip to Egypt after a long absence I hired a limo from Cairo Airport to Alexandria, and I could not believe how fast he was driving and how many close calls we had until we reached home. On Egyptian highway you’ll see people driving in the wrong direction, pedestrian crossing the road with their stock animals etc. Traffic signs are useless because many drivers are illiterate. The concept of driving in lane does not exist in Egypt, because many roads don’t have them and if they do, people don’t use them. The lack of “driving education” is a big contributor to the problem. Many cars in Egypt are not equipped with seat belts making accidents deadlier.
The following are some helpful hints to make your trip to Egypt safer
- DON’T heir a cap for an inter-city trip. Your first option should be the train if possible, then a bus
- DON”T sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
- Fasten your seat belt if possible.
- If you feel the driver is too fast or under the influence, ask him to stop and get out of the vehicle. Life is not cheap.
The following links talks about the topic more:
This article has some interesting information about the traffic in Egypt:
"A report released by the Egyptian Ministry of Transport in November 2005 estimated that 6,000 people die each year as a result of road accidents in Egypt and the annual economic loss caused by road loss is at least EGP 3 billion (equivalent to US$522 million) which amounts to 3% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. Around 30,000 people are also injured in road accidents each year, the report said."
You may want to read this one too
"In Egypt, for every 100 million kms driven, 43.2 people die, compared with 0.9 in Australia, for instance. Accident specialists maintain that more than 50 per cent of the victims are in their mid-20s, and that one-fifth of children between one and five-years-old who die in hospitals are accident victims"
This article put the annual death toll at 8000
"Road accidents are frequent and increasing in Egypt because of factors including the poor condition or design of roads, dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, lane indiscipline, driving without lights at night, indifference to wearing seat belts, almost universal lack of safety helmets amongst motorcycle users , etc . Pedestrian behavior is equally to blame – pedestrians stand and talk in the roadway, dart across roads unexpectedly and children play in the street. Traffic Police statistics show that an estimated 8,000 people were killed and 32,000 injured in road accidents in Egypt in 2003 and the per capita road crash fatality rate is approximately 10.5 deaths per 100,000 population"
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