World Metrology Day was celebrated last Sunday as more than 80 countries that are signatories to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) took time to observe the day.

May 20 was chosen as the day to observe the science of measurements following the signing of the Metre Convention in 1975 which was the beginning of formal international collaboration in metrology.
This year the day was celebrated under the theme ‘Metrology for safety’ which highlighted the importance of correct masurements to ensure safety in all walks of life.

The focus for this year’s theme was on road safety and to demonstrate its significance Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) partnered with organizations such as Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), Department of Road Transport and Safety and the traffic division of Botswana Police to spread road safety awareness across the country.

When giving an overview of the theme, Pilane Sebigi of Botswana Police reminded the audience that the decade 2011-2020 has been declared a ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ by the United Nations in an effort to make roads safer for all.

“On this same breath, I would like to add that we are just a touching distance from the year 2016; a year synonymous with our national Vision 2016. The fourth pillar of this national vision envisions Botswana to be a ‘safe and secure nation’. This ideal explicitly mentions of the need to achieve a drop in the incidence of road accident and road fatalities,” he said.

As part of the celebrations BOBS and its partners held road-side awareness campaigns targeting vehicle drivers, passengers and pedestrians. The campaigns were held along the Trans-Kalahari highway near Jwaneng, the Nata junction and along the Western by-pass in Gaborone.

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