Traffic Accidents Toll in Morocco exhausts 2% of the GDP

CASABLANCA – The Minister of Equipment and Transport, Mr. Aziz Rebbah, asserted that traffic accidents cause huge loss to the Moroccan economy—a loss estimated at 2% of the national GDP as reported by the Moroccan daily Al Massae. Indeed, in 2012 alone, the traffic accidents in Morocco killed 4000 victims.

In his address during the opening session of the Eighteenth Edition of the Conference on “The Technical Training on Traffic Safety” last Tuesday, the minister surveyed the measures undertaken by the government to stop the drain on Moroccan roads.

Mr. Rebbah affirmed that the ministry has put forward a comprehensive strategy based on the revision of legislations, the consolidation of fines collections, drivers training, and the reform of testing systems and the improvement of road infrastructure.

The minister also listed the main axis of the ministry strategy, namely the adoption of a new traffic code and the improvement of transport services. In this regard, Mr. Rebbah stressed the need for better cooperation between Morocco and African countries in the field of traffic safety as well as the exchange of expertise between these countries.

The conference acts as an opportunity for the consolidation of cooperation in the technical training which will benefit 20 participants from French speaking countries such as Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and the Comoro Islands.

Mr. Hirous Chinechy, the Japanese ambassador’s advisor in Morocco, who attended the conference, claimed that Morocco has an excellent road infrastructure, and is a model in the African continent. The Japanese official hailed the efforts deployed by the ministry especially the launching of different campaigns to sensitize citizens about the paramount importance of traffic safety. On the other hand, Mr. Chinechy made it clear that the real challenge for Morocco remains the maintenance and the improvement of the traffic network.

The conference is part of a program set by the JACA, the Japanese International Agency for Coordination and the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation. Both agencies signed an agreement to organize five conferences per annum to promote the concept of traffic safety?

This conference, hosted at the Institute for the Training in the Mechanisms of Traffic Maintenance in Skhirat, will end on September 27th. This training will be coupled with fieldwork and visits to workshops and public institutions.