Road accidents drop in Morocco first time in a decade, Minister

Road accidents in 2004 have registered a drop in Morocco for the first time in ten years, according to Minister of Equipment and Transport, Karim Ghellab.

During the last ten years, road accidents increased at a yearly basis of 3pc, causing enormous economic losses. They cost Morocco annually over 1 billion Euro, that is 2.5 percent of the GDP.

From April to end of December 2004, accidents involving physical injuries dropped by -4.5pc, and the number of deaths by -0.4pc, said Ghellab, on Tuesday, at the House of Advisors (upper chamber) question-time.

The number of the seriously injured decreased by -9.6pc compared to the same period in the previous year, he added.

The minister ascribed the drop to the national plan on road safety implemented as of April 2004, insisting that most accidents result from reckless driving, which cause from 84 to 89 percent of road accidents in the country. Poor roads and other circumstances are responsible only for 2 to 3 percent of the total number of accidents.

Among the measures taken to reduce accidents, he cited in particular the compulsory use of the safety belt, banning the use of cellular phones, increasing technical visits to cars dating over 5 years and the medical control of public transport drivers.

In 2003, Moroccan insurance companies paid over MAD 3 billion (around USD 352 Mn) of compensations for victims of road accidents, i.e 44.69pc of overall insurances operations spending and indemnities (life insurance excluded).