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Road Safety Worldwide
 Road safety is not only a major concern for South Africa but indeed a concern that requires the immediate attention of Nations worldwide. The Commission for Global Road Safety has during June 2006 presented a Report titled “Make Roads Safe” that could have a far reaching effect on the way we approach road safety.
The Report by the Commission for Global Road Safety aims to focus political and public attention on a global road traffic injury epidemic that claims the lives of more than 1.2 million people and injures around 50 million annually.
The Report has indicated that dangerous roads have significant impacts on developmental objectives – especially because of the immense economic and social cost of road crashes to low and middle income countries. It is important that the knowledge gained by high income countries also be transferred and implemented in low and middle income countries.
The arrive alive road safety website will strive to make available information about road safety elsewhere in the world – and envisages that this information will enhance road safety initiatives in Southern Africa.
Executive Summary of the "Make Roads Safe Report"
The Executive Summary of the “Make Roads Safe Report” provides insight on the threat of road safety – through some of the following important statistical data:
- The World Health Organization has estimated that in 2002 almost 1.2 million people died in road crashes worldwide and as many as 50 million were injured. Unless action is taken, global road deaths are forecast to double by 2020 and yet many of these deaths and injuries are known to be preventable;
- More than eighty five per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries occur in low income and middle income countries. Road traffic deaths and injuries impose huge economic costs on developing economies in low and middle income countries. These economic costs are estimated at $64.5 billion - $100 billion. This compares with total bilateral overseas aid that amounted to $106.5 billion in 2005.
- Despite the rapidly increasing road traffic deaths and injuries in low and middle income countries, road safety has been almost totally ignored as an issue of sustainable development.
- Global road safety is seriously under resourced. The Report estimates that annual bilateral grant aid explicitly for road safety in middle and low income countries is currently below $10 million a year.
- There is a growing recognition that investment in road infrastructure will be an important factor in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
- Road investment will increase exposure to the risk of road traffic deaths and injuries, unless a coherent action plan for road safety is also put in place.
- Insufficient attention is being given to the road safety component of the NEPAD roads programme. To strengthen the road safety dimension of this much needed investment in Africa’s roads, there urgently needs to be increased donor support for road safety related knowledge transfer and technical capacity, both at country level but also in regional bodies.
- High income countries have developed effective road safety measures after decades of trial and error and human tragedy. While more effort is still needed in the industrialised nations the major challenge now is to ensure through early intervention that low and middle income countries do not have to experience the same bitter learning curve. Much of the experience available in high income countries is transferable to low and middle income countries.
- The World Report on road traffic injury prevention, published by WHO and the World Bank in 2004, details the key road injury ‘risk factors’, the major contributing factors to road crashes and injury severity, including drink driving; lack of helmet use; seat belt non compliance; excessive speed; and poor infrastructure design and management. The World Report recommends practical actions to mitigate these factors and an integrated ‘safety systems approach’ to road safety improvements, using a lead agency to coordinate the development of national road safety strategies and plans.
- The international community is starting to take notice of the global road safety epidemic. UN General Assembly resolutions in 2003, 2004, and 2005 have recognised that there is a ‘road safety crisis’ in middle and low income countries, and have mandated WHO to organise a global road safety collaboration to coordinate the responses of agencies and stakeholders.
- Co-operation on road safety between the industrialised countries has a long history. These international efforts have included the exchange of best practice in road safety actions and strategies, research collaboration and the sharing of data systems, and negotiating international standards for motor vehicle and road construction standards. By contrast, middle and low income countries currently have very limited opportunities for international road safety collaboration.
- The World Bank has established a Global Road Safety Facility to generate increased funding and technical assistance for global, regional and country level initiatives to build capacity and implement road safety programmes in low and middle income countries.
- To implement the recommendations of the World Report, an Action Plan for global road safety is needed.
- Political support for road safety is vital.
- Road safety is a shared, multi-sectoral, responsibility of governments and a range of civil society stakeholders. Successful road safety strategies in all countries depend on a broad base of support and common action. Beyond the sphere of government, civil society can make a huge contribution to road safety.
- The World Bank estimates that, if fatality rates per vehicle in poorer countries were reduced by 30% by 2020, more than 2.5 million lives could be saved and 200 million injuries avoided.
- The Commission for Global Road Safety hopes that G8 leaders can give a strong signal of support for investment in safer roads and for implementation of the recommendations of the World Report.
- The epidemic of road deaths in the developing world is a major and growing public health problem. It is recognised that many of these deaths and injuries are preventable.
Click on the banner above to view the Make Roads Safe website
[The Commission for Global Road Safety was established by the FIA Foundation to examine the framework for and level of international cooperation on global road safety, and to make policy recommendations]
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