If you ever find yourself far from the hustle and bustle of big cities or wandering through smaller towns, you’ll get to see some seriously charming scenes. It’s pretty fascinating to watch how laid back Tunisians are as they stroll along the streets. But here’s the deal; there’s a reason for that carefree vibe: the pedestrian friendly infrastructure isn’t exactly top notch. Sidewalks, if they even exist, are often taken over by parked cars, café tables, or shop displays, which makes walking around a bit of an obstacle course. Now, let’s compare. In Europe, we’ve kind of adapted to this sort of thing. We tend to walk in single file, like a line of ducklings following their mama, keeping out of the way of others while staying safe. But in Tunisia, it’s a whole different story. People don’t seem to worry  about these hazards. Is it because they’re not aware of the risks? Or maybe they just don’t care?

Tunisia became the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to prepare  a multi-sectoral national road safety strategy, and it's all based on the findings of the 2023 Global Report. The initiation commenced with a situation analysis to set the stage for the strategy. The priority actions have been categorized into five primary groups, making infrastructure safer and slowing things down where needed, supporting different types of transportation, keeping road users safe, improving vehicle safety, and figuring out how to handle things better after crashes. The plan’s broken down into short-term goals (done in under two years), medium-term ones (three to five years), and long-term goals, that'll take more than five years to fully roll out.