728 Unfair risk impositions from car driving and responsibility for road safety in low-income countries

Background In Low-Income countries car driving is associated with significant injury risks for both car occupants and other road users. In this presentation I provide an ethical analysis of risk impositions from car driving in a low-income country context and the moral responsibilities that the risk imposition gives rise to. Objective The objective of this study is to analyse ethical issues related to risk imposition from car driving in Ethiopia and identify what sorts of moral responsibilities they give rise to on the part of the risk imposers. Method This research uses a model of ethical risk analysis in which stakeholders and their corresponding roles in relation to a risk imposition is used to determine the moral acceptability of risk impositions. Results It is shown that car driving in Ethiopia involves a morally problematic risk imposition in which some stakeholders who decide on and benefit the most from the risk imposition, impose an unfair risk of harm on other stakeholders, such as Children and Pedestrians, who neither are main beneficiaries from the risk imposition nor have a decision-making role related to the risks they are exposed to. Conclusion The unfair and morally problematic risk impositions from car driving in Low-income countries gives rise to important moral obligations related to the nature and magnitude of the risk impositions. These moral responsibilities include 1) the responsibility to know more about the nature and magnitude of the risk imposition, 2) the responsibility to meaningfully engage with the unfairly risk exposed so that their needs and interests are properly accounted for, 3) the responsibility to compensate those who are harmed when risks materialize, 4) the responsibility to bring about attitudinal change regarding the causes and remedies of road safety problems, and 5) the responsibility to improve safety of those unfairly risk exposed through the promotion of effective road safety interventions. Actors who determine the risk level in the road system, such as politicians and transport planners, and those who benefit the most from the current risk impositions, such car producers, importers and owners, should have the ultimate moral responsibility to address unfair risk impositions.