Road Safety Action International (RSAI) conducted an independent evaluation examining how four Mano River Union countries — Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire — are addressing UN Global Road Safety Performance Target 10, which calls for all countries to have national laws restricting or prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving by 2030, as part of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030.
Mobile phone use while driving is one of the fastest-growing contributors to road traffic crashes globally. As smartphone penetration accelerates across Africa — including in the Mano River Union — and road infrastructure and enforcement capacity remain weak, distracted driving is emerging as a critical and under addressed threat to road safety in the sub-region.
Road traffic crashes kill approximately 1.19 million people every year worldwide, according to the WHO's 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety. Of this burden, distracted driving — and mobile phone use in particular — has emerged as a rapidly growing risk factor. A driver using a mobile phone while behind the wheel is four times more likely to be involved in a crash than a driver giving full attention to the road. The impairment caused by texting while driving increases crash risk by as much as 23 times, and delays reaction time to a degree equivalent to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 g/dl — the legal limit in many high-income countries.
Despite the severity of the risk, global legislative progress remains uneven. As of 2023, only 96 countries have enacted national laws specifically banning handheld mobile phone use while driving — and even fewer mandate enforcement with meaningful penalties. In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is particularly stark: rapid growth in mobile phone ownership has outpaced the development of regulatory frameworks governing phone use on the road.
Are the countries of the Mano River Union doing enough to keep phones out of drivers' hands — and out of the crash equation?
Africa accounts for 19% of global road traffic fatalities while possessing less than 3% of the world's vehicles. Road traffic deaths in the WHO African Region increased by 17% between 2010 and 2021 — faster than any other WHO region. Within the Mano River Union, the crisis is acute: Guinea records 37.4 road traffic deaths per 100,000 population, making it one of the deadliest countries in the world for road users. Côte d'Ivoire stands at 20.6, Liberia at 15.3, and Sierra Leone at 13.8 — all well above the global average of 18 per 100,000. Distracted driving is a significant, though largely unmeasured, contributor to this toll.
"By 2030, all countries have national laws to restrict or prohibit the use of mobile phones while driving."
— UN Voluntary Global Road Safety Performance Targets, Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030
Target 10 is one of 12 voluntary performance targets adopted by UN Member States under the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030. It specifically addresses driver distraction caused by mobile phones — including both handheld and hands-free use. Research consistently shows that hands-free phones offer minimal safety benefit over handheld phones, as the cognitive distraction — not just the physical act of holding a device — is the primary cause of impaired driving performance. The most effective legislation therefore bans all phone use while driving, not only handheld devices.
Meeting Target 10 requires not just the presence of a law, but its effective enforcement: visible deterrence, proportionate penalties, and public awareness campaigns that shift driving norms. WHO tracks three key indicators under this target: (1) the existence of national legislation on distracted driving, (2) the specific scope of the mobile phone ban (handheld only, or both handheld and hands-free), and (3) the presence of national targets to reduce distracted driving.
Using data from the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, RSAI assessed each country against the three core Target 10 indicators. The table below summarises the findings:
| Country | Fatality Rate (per 100k) | Distracted Driving Legislation? | Scope of Mobile Phone Ban | National Target (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇱🇷 Liberia | 15.3 | ❌ No | — None | ❌ No |
| 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 13.8 | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Unspecified scope | ✅ 2030 |
| 🇬🇳 Guinea | 37.4 | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Handheld only | ✅ National |
| 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire | 20.6 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Handheld + Hands-free | ✅ 2030 |
Source: WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, Country and Territory Profiles — Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire.
The evaluation reveals a deeply uneven legislative landscape across the Mano River Union, with significant gaps between stated commitments and enforceable legal frameworks:
Liberia: No Law, No Target — A Critical Blind Spot
Liberia is the only country in the MRU with no legislation on distracted driving whatsoever. There is no national ban on mobile phone use while driving — not handheld, not hands-free — and no national target to address the issue. This is particularly alarming given Liberia's rapid growth in mobile phone penetration and the well-documented weaknesses in its driver training and licensing system. Liberia currently estimates 794 road traffic deaths per year against a reported figure of just 232, indicating vast underreporting. Distracted driving, invisible in this data, is almost certainly a significant contributing factor.
Sierra Leone: Legislation Exists — But Scope is Unclear
Sierra Leone has enacted legislation on distracted driving and has set a national 2030 target — a positive step. However, the WHO data records the scope of the mobile phone ban as unspecified. The absence of a clearly defined ban — specifying whether handheld use, hands-free use, or both are prohibited — weakens enforcement and creates ambiguity for road users. Without defined standards, traffic officers cannot consistently apply the law, and offenders can challenge enforcement actions. Sierra Leone must urgently clarify and strengthen its mobile phone legislation to meet the spirit and intent of Target 10.
Guinea: A Partial Ban in the Most Dangerous Country in the MRU
Guinea has the highest road traffic fatality rate in the Mano River Union — 37.4 deaths per 100,000 population — and the highest WHO-estimated absolute death toll among the four countries at 5,061 per year. While Guinea has enacted distracted driving legislation and a national target, its mobile phone ban covers handheld use only. This partial approach leaves hands-free phone use — which research shows carries comparable cognitive distraction risks — entirely unregulated. For a country with such a severe road safety burden, this gap represents a missed opportunity to significantly reduce crash risk.
Côte d'Ivoire: The MRU Leader — But Enforcement Remains the Missing Link
Côte d'Ivoire stands out as the most advanced country in the MRU on Target 10, with legislation covering both handheld and hands-free mobile phone use and a national 2030 reduction target. The country also introduced a licence points system in 2023, under which mobile phone use at the wheel costs drivers demerit points — a meaningful deterrent mechanism. However, having the law is only half the battle: systematic enforcement, penalties proportionate enough to change behaviour, and robust public awareness campaigns are all required to translate legislation into genuine crash reduction. Whether Côte d'Ivoire's enforcement practice matches its legislative ambition remains an open question.
The WHO 2023 data reveal a striking shared failure across all four MRU countries: not one of them systematically collects data on mobile phone use while driving. Without a data baseline, it is impossible to measure the true scale of the problem, evaluate the impact of legislation, or design targeted interventions. Addressing this data gap is a prerequisite for meaningful progress on Target 10 across the sub-region.
Countries and regions that have made measurable progress on reducing phone-related crashes share a consistent set of policy interventions:
The common thread: legislation alone is not enough. The countries achieving real reductions in phone-related crashes combine comprehensive legal bans with high-probability enforcement, meaningful penalties, and sustained public awareness — all within a data-driven monitoring framework.
RSAI's evaluation of Target 10 across the Mano River Union draws on the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 country profiles, supplemented by regional transport policy documents and field engagement with institutional stakeholders. The evaluation examines three dimensions:
RSAI is supporting stakeholder engagement processes in Liberia and across the MRU to advance legislative reform, strengthen enforcement capacity, and develop national data frameworks aligned with the WHO's recommended indicators for Target 10. RSAI also advocates for the integration of mobile phone distraction awareness into existing road safety education programs, commercial driver training curricula, and public institution vehicle policies — including those of government ministries operating fleet vehicles.
RSAI urges the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire to take the following actions:
The Mano River Union sits at a crossroads on mobile phone distracted driving. Three of the four countries have taken legislative steps — but partial bans, unclear enforcement powers, and the near-total absence of mobile phone crash data mean that even those steps remain more symbolic than protective. Liberia, meanwhile, has no law at all, leaving its drivers — and the pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers who share the road with them — entirely unprotected from this known and growing risk.
With 2030 less than five years away and smartphone penetration in West Africa growing at double-digit rates, the window for preventive action is narrowing. A phone placed on a dashboard or held to an ear while driving is not a minor infraction — it is a life-threatening decision. The governments of the Mano River Union have an opportunity to get ahead of this crisis: to enact strong laws, enforce them visibly, and invest in the data systems needed to know whether they are working.
RSAI's evaluation is not about pointing fingers — it's about lighting the path forward. With focused action, political courage, and regional collaboration, the goal of eliminating mobile phone-related road deaths is both achievable and urgent.
Road Safety Action International stands ready to support governments, institutions, and civil society partners across the Mano River Union in meeting Global Target 10 — through policy advocacy, capacity building, public awareness programming, and evidence-based evaluation. Contact us at info@roadsai.org or visit www.roadsai.org to learn more.