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.