Combating Khat in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the highest per capita rate of roadside fatalities in the world, and many of these deaths involve drivers high on khat (sometimes spelled chat or qat). Khat is a stimulant that consists of the buds and leaves of a flowering evergreen plant and when you chew it like tobacco, it is a strong stimulant.

Khat is legal in several parts of the horn of Africa and many users think of it as harmless. But with death rates from road accidents almost four times higher than in neighboring Kenya, authorities in Ethiopia have launched a campaign to stop people from chewing khat and driving.

The BBC’s Angela Robson reports from the streets of northeast Ethiopia. You can listen to Angela's story at the BBC website.

(Photo courtesy A. Davey via Flickr/Creative Commons)