This paper provides an ethical analysis of risk impositions from car driving in a low-income country context. To this end, a model of ethical risk analysis is used in which stakeholders and their corresponding roles in relation to a risk imposition is used to identify the nature and moral acceptability of risk impositions. I argue that car driving involves a risk imposition in which some stakeholders who decide on and benefit from the risk impositions impose an unfair risk of harm on other stakeholders, who are neither beneficiaries from the risk imposition nor have a decision-making role related to the risks they are exposed to. Mainstream ethical theories lack feasible solutions to the moral dilemmas associated with the risk impositions. I argue that addressing the unfair and morally problematic risk impositions requires the promotion certain types of moral obligations associated with the nature and magnitude of the risk impositions. Accordingly, actors who decide on risk levels in the road system and those who benefit from the current risk impositions have the moral obligations to know more about the nature of the risk imposition, to communicate with the unfairly risk exposed, to compensate those who are harmed, and to bring about attitudinal change with regards to the causes and remedies of road safety problems, and to improve safety of those unfairly risk exposed. Most of all, enhancing the safety of children, and pedestrians requires a political and societal commitment to promote effective road safety measures that eliminate major risk factors affecting these groups of road users.
QC 20241213