Rev. Smart K. Senesie, Executive Director of the SLRSA, has outlined key initiatives aimed at improving emergency response, ensuring vehicle standards checks, and overall highway management.
These are part of the agency’s expanded mandate.
Speaking at the Weekly Ministry of Information and Civic Education, Reverend Senesie, said that the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) are taking major steps to enhance road safety concerns across the country in response to the alarming increase in traffic injuries and fatalities on people.
The Executive Director said ” a central component of the SLRSA’s strategy pins on the establishment of two Highway Management Centers at Mile 91 and Magburaka. These centers, he said, are designed to offer immediate assistance to motorists in need of emergency services, including to ensure quick response to accidents situations and vehicle breakdowns, adding that as part of their future plans, SLRSA aims to establish 16 additional roadside clinics equipped with ambulances and tow trucks. “This initiative is part of the agency’s effort to enhance post-crash management, the final pillar of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.”
“These clinics will play a critical role in saving lives by providing timely medical attention and removing damaged vehicles from the roads swiftly, thus reducing the risk of secondary accidents, ” Rev. Senesie said.
Another significant area of focus for the SLRSA is to improving the condition of vehicles on the roads. To address this, Reverend Senesie said that the agency is working on a bill to address the frequent use of old, unroad-worthy vehicles, the influx of substandard spare parts, and the rate of abandoned vehicles on highways, all of which contribute to road safety hazards. This proposed legislation will set new standards for vehicle maintenance, ensuring that only safe and properly maintained vehicles are permitted on Sierra Leone’s roads, SLRSA said.
“We have been looking closely at the condition of the vehicles plying the roads, especially those transporting people. Safety must come first, and this bill will ensure that,” Senesie explained.
The SLRSA serves as the lead agency for road safety coordination, but Rev. Senesie emphasized that other key players, such as the Police and the Ports Authority, are also involved. He reiterated that road safety is a collective responsibility with everyone playing a part in ensuring safer roads., adding that their responsibility is to coordinate the efforts of all agencies involved in road safety. “By working together, we can achieve safer roads for all,” he opined.
In a bid to improve service delivery, ED Senesie, said that the SLRSA has privatized four of its five major services, including vehicle licensing and the issuance of temporary vehicle permits. This privatization, he said, aims to streamline operations, allowing the agency to focus on its core mission of improving road safety.
As Sierra Leone grapples with rising road traffic incidents, SLRSA focus is on emergency response, highway management, and vehicle safety regulation which offer a comprehensive approach to road safety concerns. With these reforms, the SLRSA is setting a clear path toward reducing traffic fatalities and improving road safety across the country.