As a developing country Fiji is also experiencing the growth of motorisation among its diverse population. Current trends suggest that the vehicle numbers will double within the next few years. Accident numbers have been on the increase as a result. The Fiji government realises the costs of death and injury caused by accidents. To that end the government initiated a plan to reduce accident occurrence in all roads in Fiji. The first stage of the plan started in 1992 through a grant from the Asian Development Bank. The first stage of the plan involved identifying the various stakeholders and setting up the Fiji National Road Safety Council as the co-ordinating body. The second stage was the implementation with emphasis on the three E's, Engineering, Education and Enforcement. Procurement and recruitment of staff was also carried out in this stage. Accident fatalities seemed to have stabilised even though they were not decreasing. Given the relationship between accident numbers and increased motor vehicle registration one can deduce that accident numbers will surely rise again. The third action plan extending from 2001 to 2005 is a continuation of the second one with a greater emphasis on existing plan detail. The current plan is unlikely to achieve the accident reduction target because it is not integrated with wider transport planning policies. The plan with its strategy and level of funding will not outrun accident numbers, because of increased numbers of motor vehicles on the road. The solution as described in this paper incorporates a range of wider transport planning and policy initiatives to supplement the action plan. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.
Abstract