SAFETY

Travelling in Marrakesh can be chaotic and unfamiliar for many tourists. Its residents may be used to it but that does not mean that there is no issue at all. There do exist concerns of safety in the transportation which should be mentioned and tried to be resolved.

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In general, in Morocco happen many traffic accidents which leads to a rate of more than 11 deaths per day in motor vehicle accidents. (Morocco 2019 Crime & Safety Report, 2019) This makes the fatality rate for those accidents about as twice as of the USA. (Morocco 2019 Crime & Safety Report, 2019) Many people are driving more negligent and aggressive than for example in Europe and North America. Furthermore, traffic signals are ignored and there are too many different vehicles on the road like slow- and fast-moving vehicles. Another problem is that cars and trucks are in a poor state and often jam the street because they cannot move any more and need to be repaired. Also, people are going across the road recklessly which often happens because there are only few pedestrian crossings and there is no other than this dangerous way to get to the other side of the street.

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Due to the lack of mere pedestrian zones, especially in the Medina, it can come to an accumulation of different transport means like mopeds and bicycles which complicate walking and make it unsafe. This can lead to crashes and injuries. This happens often but there are no official statistics because most cases are not recorded. So, these conditions highly influence the walking quality and pedestrians always have to watch the path.

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Also, in the public transportation can be found some poor conditions of safety. Not only people with private vehicles ignore the road safety rules but also drivers of public transport endangering the passengers. Because of that, many Travel Websites highly recommend moving by foot as much as possible.

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Furthermore, when taking a taxi, the travel tips say that the Grand taxis should be avoided because they are often taken by too many people than they should. In general, travellers need to be cautious because there is a lack of seat belts and airbags in many cars (Andrews, 2019), this is why the passengers should try to check that as good as possible before. It is not recommendable to take a ride-sharing service because there are high safety risks. The most are not only against the law but also get attacked getting its passengers in danger. The police often does not intervene in these cases. (Morocco 2019 Crime & Safety Report, 2019)

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In any case, no matter which type of transport is taken, people should always keep their valuable objects close and monitor them while travelling. The crime in Marrakech is mostly theft including mugging, pickpocketing, and nurse snatching. (Andrews, 2019)

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Due to all these incidents we especially have to focus on the improvement of the safety measurements and compliance of the rules. There need to be done more traffic checks controlling the vehicles and its equipment at any time. There must be created a new Transport Plan excluding mopeds from the narrow streets. Furthermore, slow and fast-moving vehicles must be separated having their own lanes. It is necessary to work together with city planners to reorganise the highways, streets and paths. The aim is also that the accidents decrease. Residents and tourists nowadays are forced to avoid several modes of transport which should change in the future. Everyone should have the access to safe transportation. Furthermore, women should be able to travel without fear at day and night.