Project.

In 2006, the Cameroonian Government and the European Commission agreed on an action aimed at reducing the accident rate recorded on the Yaoundé – Douala axis. In this context, RSD Institute was commissioned to carry out a study to evaluate the priorities for intervention according to the location and typology of the accidents recorded. The objective of this study was to describe the accident rate on the Yaoundé – Douala road axis over the period from January 2004 to May 2007.

The analysis of the official reports shows a very high and increasing accident rate on the Yaoundé – Douala road. This accident rate is at least 35 times higher than on a road of the same category in Europe. Human factors (dangerous overtaking, excessive speed, inattention) are the cause of more than three quarters of accidents, while tyre defects are the cause of one accident out of 10, all types combined, and 23% of fatal accidents.

The study of the geographical distribution of accidents involving injuries shows a relatively homogeneous situation, even if some accident-prone points or sections have been identified.

In the range of actions aimed at combating road insecurity, we retain as priorities

• a 90 km/h speed limit for all vehicles, accompanied by the implementation of a credible enforcement policy.
• treatment of the infrastructure, essentially located on the outskirts of urban areas and the few black spots identified.
• Checking the condition of vehicles, and in particular the condition of their tyres, at the start of the route.

These interventions are capable of significantly reducing morbidity and mortality on this route in the short term, but they should not prevent a longer-term reflection on the measures to be implemented and generalised to the whole country: information and awareness campaigns, protected overtaking zones, aid for the renovation of vehicle safety components (tyres, brakes, steering, dampers).