Report calls for deeper analysis in coverage of Africa road safety crisis

A new study examining news coverage of road crashes in Africa has revealed that reporting often obscures the fact that road deaths are preventable. The study also points out that coverage fails to address more systemic causes of road deaths, such as poor infrastructure and inadequate laws, regulations and law enforcement.

News reports shape public attitudes and, ultimately, influence policy decisions. Yet an analysis of nearly 1,000 news stories from five Anglophone African countries revealed these critical gaps in coverage.

The report, titled “Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Road Collisions and Road Safety in Africa”, highlights how news outlets on the continent typically fail to inform the public about the nature, impact and scale of the growing road safety crisis.

Produced by Science Africa with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the study analyses news stories and video reports from 25 leading media organisations in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania. These reports were published between September 2021 and September 2024.

According to the WHO’s “Status Report on Road Safety in the African Region” (2023), road traffic deaths in Africa increased faster than in any other region between 2010 and 2021, rising by 17 per cent.

The WHO African Region accounts for nearly one-fifth of the 1.2 million annual road deaths globally despite holding just three per cent of the world’s registered vehicles.

“This landmark study – the first of its kind ever undertaken in Africa – shows that news must catch up with science when it comes to road safety. The media has a crucial role in calling for policies and actions that save lives, so we must help journalists dig deeper into the facts, the data, and what works in reducing road deaths,” said Dr Nhan Tran, Head of Safety and Mobility at WHO.

Of the news reports analysed, 45 per cent blamed poor driver behaviour as the primary cause of road crashes, with victim-blaming prevalent across all five countries.

Pedestrians, who account for one-third of road deaths in the WHO African Region, are often framed in reports as the result of individual failings rather than systemic problems, such as the absence of footpaths, a lack of safe places to cross busy roads, or inadequate public transport options.

The study also found that just 14 per cent of reports mentioned road safety laws, 11 per cent referred to infrastructure quality, and seven per cent addressed road safety policies.

Additionally, 65 per cent of news stories framed crashes as isolated events, failing to provide context such as the number of previous fatalities in the same area. This framing can prevent readers from recognising the broader scope of the crisis.

News coverage was relatively balanced across the five countries.

Nigeria recorded the highest frequency at 196 stories(21 per cent), and South Africa the lowest at 169 stories (18.1 per cent).

Kenya and Tanzania each contributed 190 stories, accounting for 20.4 per cent each, while Ghana followed closely with 187 stories (20.1 per cent).

The variation in coverage was minimal, ranging from 18.1 per cent to 21per cent, indicating a fairly even distribution of news stories among the countries.

Road crashes cost many countries three to five per cent of their gross domestic product, but just four per cent of news reports covered the broader economic impact of road crashes on health services or the costs borne by victims, their families and countries.

Additionally, more than half of all news reports used the term “accident” instead of “crash” or “collision,” with the word “accident” appearing in 52.2 per cent of cases. The use of “accident” obscures the fact that road deaths are preventable.

“Road deaths are preventable. People will always make mistakes on the roads, but we can ensure that our transport systems absorb errors in ways that reduce the risk of death. This is why news reports must give the full picture and look into more systemic causes and solutions,” says Dr Nhan Tran.