Improving Road Safety
in the OIC Member States
110
As mentioned earlier motorcycles are a significant mode of road transport in the country. These
are both used for private transport and for commuter transport especially in cities to quickly
transport people to their destinations. The average age of vehicles in Cameroon is a serious
concern with almost a quarter of the vehicles on the roads older than 20 years old and nearly
half the population older than 10 years, as illustrated i
Table 24: Average age of vehicle population (2014)
Average age Vehicle population (2014)
Other 593
< 1 year 19,793
1-5 years 250,213
5-10 years 88,561
10-15 years 61,897
15-20 years 95,524
>20 years 157,665
Total 674,246
Source: Transtat, 2014
Vehicle standards and roadworthiness
Although the country does not have rigorous vehicle standards and technical requirements,
vehicles are issued with roadworthiness certificates upon purchase, often issued by the
manufacturer or dealer. There are no stringent requirements for periodic inspections so the
majority of vehicles on the roads no longer comply with the original safety standards and many
are in poor condition. By law taxis are supposed to be checked every 3 months, cars every year,
trucks and buses every 6 months although the control of this is not evident. The periodic
inspection of motor vehicles is the responsibility of private roadworthy centres throughout the
country. However, these appear to be ineffectual given the substantive evidence of non-
roadworthy vehicles on the roads. Vehicles are supposed to comply with minimum technical
requirements but this is not administered effectively. The (roadside and other) checks that are
carried out may find defects but cannot revoke a vehicle license whereby a vehiclemay no longer
use public roads. Vehicle registrations are renewable on a 10-year basis and this is a formality
without stringent controls to ensure that the vehicle is fit for use.
A growing problem is the number of illegal taxis, specifically the use of the motorcycle taxis
which in the urban areas of Cameroun are used to cheaply transport three (and sometimes
more) passengers at a time. These motorcycles are not fit for purpose and, apart from being a
high risk transport mode, are seldom roadworthy and driven by drivers that are unqualified.
Taxis in the urban area are also a high risk mode. In Cameroon, taxis are typically small sedans
suitable for a maximum of 5 occupants. These vehicles are however used to transport larger
numbers (irrespective that there are inadequate seatbelts and they are overloaded). Generally
these vehicles are far from roadworthy, driving without tail-and headlights, bald tyres and held
together with wire. Police in the urban areas turn an apparent blind eye to the potential danger
posed by these vehicles, both to passengers and other road users.