Introduction
IRF commits to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020)
'Road Safety is no accident' – the slogan of the 2007 United Nations Road Safety Week describes the problem of road safety well. Along these lines, the International Road Federation is very involved in advocacy and in dissemination of knowledge and best practices.
Each year nearly 1.3 million people die as a result of a road traffic collision— more than 3000 deaths each day—and more than half of these people are not travelling in a car. Twenty to fifty million more people sustain non-fatal injuries from a collision, and these injuries are an important cause of disability worldwide. Ninety percent of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, which claim less than half the world's registered vehicle fleet. Road traffic injuries are among the three leading causes of death for people between 5 and 44 years of age. Unless immediate and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death in the world, resulting in an estimated 2.4 million deaths each year. This is, in part, a result of rapid increases in motorization without sufficient improvement in road safety strategies and land use planning. The economic consequences of motor vehicle crashes have been estimated between 1% and 3% of the respective GNP of the world countries, reaching a total over $500 billion. Reducing road casualties and fatalities will reduce suffering, unlock growth and free resources for more productive use.
Road traffic injuries can be prevented. Experience suggests that an adequately funded lead agency and a national plan or strategy with measurable targets is crucial components of a sustainable response to road safety. Effective interventions include incorporating road safety features into land-use, urban planning and transport planning; designing safer roads and requiring independent road safety audits for new construction projects; improving the safety features of vehicles; promoting public transport; effective speed management by police and through the use of traffic-calming measures; setting and enforcing laws requiring the use of seat-belts, helmets and child restraints; setting and enforcing blood alcohol concentration limits for drivers; and improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes.
Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety
The UN Road Safety Collaboration Group elaborated a detailed plan for the Decade of Action. The guiding principles underlying the Plan for the Decade of Action are those included in the "safe system" approach. This approach aims to develop a road transport system that is better able to accommodate human error and take into consideration the vulnerability of the human body. It starts from the acceptance of human error and thus the realization that traffic crashes cannot be completely avoided. The goal of a safe system is to ensure that accidents do not result in serious human injury. The approach considers that human limitations is an important basis upon which to design the road transport system, and that other aspects of the road system, such as the development of the road environment and the vehicle, must be harmonized on the basis of these limitations. Road users, vehicles and the road network/environment are addressed in an integrated manner, through a wide range of interventions, with greater attention to speed management and vehicle and road design than in traditional approaches to road safety.
Launch of the UN Decade of Action
On 11 May 2011, the IRF was part of a global roll-out of launch activities for the Decade of Action with the organisation of the national launch in Romania. The event was held in conjunction with an international Symposium on Road Safety at which the delegates decided on a plan of action to meet the objectives of the UN Decade of Action.
Download Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action
Download IRF Conference Declaration and Action Plan for UN Decade of Action
Contact
For information about the work of IRF in Road Safety, please contact roadsafety@irfnet.org.
