The Basque Government in Spain launched a webinar called Road Safety in the Basque Country last Wednesday, 2 December with the theme Road Safety in Euskadi, Sustainable Development Goal 2030. The session focused on road safety as part of the global targets that need to be met by 2030 according to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The webinar featured four panels that focused on the following; promoting global policies in the field of road safety based on the application of the Vision Zero principle with a Safe System approach, connecting road safety with the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, reorganizing cities to promote the sustainable mobility and return public spaces to people as the axis of social transformation, and road safety model based on leadership and road safety education strategies.
Achieving road safety targets by 2030
Road safety is part of the global agenda as presented through the SDGs. Earlier this year, the United Nations declared the new decade of action for road safety and renewed its commitments to halve the number of road related deaths and injuries by the year 2030.
Traffic Director of the Basque Government, Sonia Diaz de Corcuera, said that “the Traffic Directorate’s Strategic Road Safety Plan for the coming years assumes the global commitments adopted by the UN and ratified in the Stockholm Declaration, as well as the challenges of the EU Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety”.
The webinar promoted the exchange of experiences and good practices that will help the communities in Euskadi move toward safer and more sustainable mobility.
Road Safety Leaders 
The webinar featured leaders from all over the world. Matts-Ake Belin, Director of the Vision Zero Academy of Transportation from the Government of Sweden began the session by talking about the key principles behind vision zero. WHO Director Etienne Krug and YOURS Project Manager Raquel Barrios led the panel on connecting road safety with the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Etienne focused on sustainable transport while Raquel highlighted the importance of involving youth in road safety efforts.
The other speakers include Carlos Moreno – Expert in Small Cities and Urban Planning from Sorbonne University and Advisor to the mayor Paris, Aritza Aldama – Product Manager and Head of the Data Analysis team at Kapsch, Pille Ossul – Director of the Transport and Traffic Division of the Ministry of Economy and Communications of the Government of Estonia, Erik Ernits – Head of the Department of Strategic Planning of the Estonian Highway Administration, and Maria Del Mar Buds – Director of the Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injury.
The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety
In her Discussion, Raquel talked about road safety as the leading public health threat for young people all over the world and raised the importance of involving young people in global decision-making efforts. She raised the importance of youth representing youth in development efforts, especially those around road safety and sustainable mobility.
Through the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, young people will be equipped with everything they need to lead positive changes in road safety efforts. The Coalition provides a platform for young people to discuss their projects, activities, and initiatives.
Raquel highlighted that young people needed to be seen as leaders and change-makers instead of just victims or perpetrators of road crashes.
Closing her discussion, Raquel talked about how road safety connects with the other global goals, citing the SDGs that focused on health, education, equality, sustainable cities, and climate action.
Join the road safety movement by becoming a member of the Global Youth Coalition!