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2023/2024 A.Y Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
5.4. ROAD SAFETY IN ETHIOPIA
Objectives;
Describe the cause & consequences of road traffic safety in Ethiopia.
explain the performance of road safety in Ethiopia
What is Road safety?
• It is safety in using roads.
There are ways to make roads safe for motor traffic, cyclists and pedestrians.
• It involves rules such as;
speed limits & those about drinking & driving, &
Control systems, such as traffic lights & crossings.
Current Accident Severity Definition in Ethiopia:
1. A fatal accident ;
• One or more individuals die as a result of a traffic accident within the same reporting 30
days of the occurrence of the accident.
2. A serious injury
• A victim sustains severe cuts, bleeding, breaks, and other damages, which requires
medical treatment as “inpatient” in hospital.
3. A slight injury
• The victim sustains only small cuts, scratches, & other small damages which may be
treated as an out-patient without requiring admission to a hospital.
4. Property damage only
• No person is injured only one or more vehicles involved in the accident are damaged.
Road Traffic Accidents in Ethiopia
• An estimated 1.3 million people die & about 50 million people are injured each year on
the world‟s roads.
• Most road traffic deaths & injuries occur in low & middle-income countries.
• Road safety has received insufficient attention at national & regional levels.
• Ethiopia has experienced high rates of road traffic accidents, as the road is the major
means of transportation.
• Road traffic deaths in Ethiopia more than doubled in the 12-years b/n 2007 & 2018,
rising from 2,161 to 4,597.
1 “ፈጣሪ የተወደዱ ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!”
Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
• The size of the vehicle fleet in 2018 was 1,071,345 (see Table 5.6). This implies that
nearly 43 people were killed per 10,000 vehicles in the country in 2018.
• In another perspective, Ethiopia loses 13 people per day in road traffic crashes.
The Main Road Safety Actors in Ethiopia
• The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) of Ethiopia is overseen by several ministries and
private stakeholders.
• The council is led by the Ministry of;
Transport, Finance, Education, Health, Federal Police Commission(hereafter FPC),
Ethiopian Roads Authority, Federal Transport Authority, &
Private & public transport associations.
• Recently, there has been a yearly increase in the number of fatalities & serious injuries from
road traffic crashes.
• The trends show that road traffic crashes have become a burden of economic, social & health
proportions for the country
2 “ፈጣሪ የተወደዱ ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!”
Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
• Road traffic injuries in Ethiopia, mostly affect passengers; and pedestrians.
• In other words, one person is killed on the roads every two hours.
• It is likely that actual fatality figures in the country are larger than those reported by the
Ethiopian Federal Police Commission due to factors such as;
Underreporting & misclassification of road traffic fatalities.
• So, an integrated crash database is needed to overcome underreporting road traffic crashes.
• The four (4) regional States, namely the Oromia, Amhara, SNNPR, & the Addis Ababa City
Administration accounted for almost 85 % of the fatalities in the country. (FPC 2019)
Factors Influencing Road Accidents
There are four major factors influencing road traffic accidents. These are:
Vehicle related factors
Road related factors
Road user related factors
Environmental related factors
Driver distraction: Drivers miss their attention while driving due to factors including;
fiddling with technical devices,
talking with passengers, eating or grooming in the car,
dealing with children or pets in the back seat, or
attempting to retrieve dropped items;
Driver Impairment by Tiredness:
• Driver impairment describes factors that prevent the driver from driving at their normal
level of skill.
• Common impairments include: illness, alcohol, legal or illegal drugs, and sleepiness,.
• Impaired driving is dangerous. It‟s the cause of more than half of all car crashes. •
Mechanical failure:
• are factors associated with the vehicle itself including;
flat tires or tires blowing out,
brake failure, axle failure, steering mechanism failure
Road conditions: refers to factors related to the road infrastructure including;
foreign obstacles or substances on the road surface; making the roads slick;
Road damage including potholes.
Speed exceeding safe conditions: include the;
speed for which the road was designed,
road condition, weather,
Speed of surrounding motorists, and so on.
3 “ፈጣሪ የተወደዱ ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!”
Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
Consequences of Road Traffic Accidents include:
loss of productivity of the victims and the cost of the legal system,
The cost of pain and suffering, & loss of quality of life of the victim & their family.
5.5 CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND TOURISM IN ETHIOPIA
Objectives;
identify cultural landscape places in Ethiopia
explain the importance of tourism; and
identify natural & human made tourist attraction sites
5.5.1 Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia
Cultural Landscapes: is a geographic area (including both cultural & natural resources)
• It associated with a historic event, activity or person, or exhibiting any other cultural or
aesthetic values.
• It represents the “combined works of nature and man”.
Example Konso in Ethiopia.
The Konso cultural landscape
is located in a dry, hilly env‟t at the edge of the Rift Valley in southern Ethiopia.
It characterized by dry stone terrace agriculture & walled town settlement.
It might have been practiced for 400 years.
It‟s an indigenous adaptation to the dry, mountainous, barren & rocky environment.
It retain the soil from erosion and create terrace saddles
It could reach at some places up to 5 meter high.
It was officially recognized by the UNESCO in 2011.
4 “ፈጣሪ የተወደዱ ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!”
Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
5.5.2 Tourism in Ethiopia
Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that delivers a travel experience,
they include
transportation, accommodations, eating and
drinking establishments, retail shops, entertainment, facilities and
Other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups travelling away from
home.
• It is a source of both job opportunities and income.
• It is known as a „smokeless industry‟.
• The main tourist attractions include natural & human-made features.
Natural tourist attraction sites in Ethiopia
The Semien Mountains and Bale Mountains National Parks
Awash and Nechsar National Parks
Omo and Mago National Parks
Gambella and Abijata-Shalla National parks
The Lake Tana and Blue Nile Falls (Tis isat Falls)
The Sof Omar Cave and The Rift Valley
Human made Features in Ethiopia
Lalibela
Axum
Tiya
Harar
Gonder castle
NB: Please, students write and do the review exercise questions of unit five (5).
5 “ፈጣሪ የተወደዱ ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!”
Geography Lesson Note for Grade 9
