The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the UN. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority. Decisions on other questions are by simple majority.

The resolution welcomes national and local launches of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, officially marked on 11 May 2011, and calls on Member States which have not yet done so to develop plans for the Decade. It also requests governments to implement road safety activities in each of the five pillars of the Global Plan for the Decade: road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response. It holds up multisectoral collaboration as key to the efforts of governments, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector to be able to make progress on saving lives on the world’s roads.

Importantly, the resolution encourages stakeholders to plan activities and events to mark the Second United Nations Global Road Safety Week, to be hosted on the theme of “pedestrian safety” in early 2013. It also invites Member States, international organizations, development banks and funding agencies, foundations, professional associations and private sector companies to consider providing adequate and additional funding to activities relating to the Decade. 

Our regular columnist Mr Brian Bilal Mwebaze offers YOURS a unique perspective every month in his articles about road safety and young people in Africa. In this column, Brian draws upon a recent experience of taking a taxi in Uganda and being scared for his life in an overloaded and speeding vehicle but with some clever persuation of the young passengers, road safety was achieved!

A few days ago, I had the pleasure to be invited home (Rukungiri District-Uganda) for Christmas…oh..Sorry…I mean Easter celebrations (that’s the 69th time I make this mistake since this year started), so-As usual I jogged to the bus station. As I was waiting, rain started to pour in free-style  Now, for those who haven’t been in areas where when it rains, it really does with ambition, I decided to instead grab a taxi to save my sorry soul from the harsh weather conditions. Within the car, there were 6 males and 4 females. Please note that these taxis are licensed to carry 14 passengers on our roads. 

So, I sat with my rucksack, on my laps as usual, and off we sped! Yes, I mean, speeding…I thought that the driver was chasing for something in those first 3 minutes until I realized it was somewhat turning into a consistent show! I turned and looked around like a rat that had just seen a snake! To my utter surprise, everyone is enjoying the ride despite them clinging onto the edges of their seats! I think we were in the range of 100-120Km/Hr. A minute later, the taxi conductor yelled at me to pass him my rack sack which was, well, according to him, occupying another seat meant for another passenger. I gave it to him on which accord he, took it and hurled it onto the roof of the taxi-I hope you get the picture. In no second, we were at the second stage, where we found 8 passengers, who really looked like ducklings that have just been swimming in muddy water! They terribly wanted to be in the taxi of course. But you see, lurking behind them was also an old lady who had a hen and a goat that she was taking to the village for the Easter celebrations! Deep in my mind, am thinking, we needed a mechanic to add extra seats by performing some form of miraculous plastic-surgery and give the car a new facelift?

I was wrong pal! Without complaining, I saw someone take a seat on the laps of one passenger starting from the front seat, the next one followed, and so…the cascade effect started! And then, where in hell was the goat supposed to sit? Never mind, a red eyed, gloss lipped lady who seemed to be in her early 50s gave me that sharp eye look, as if to suggest that I would carry the damn thing! I felt it was some kind of joke, so, I scooped out my camera and I was about to shoot what would have been the photo of the century, everyone started yelling at me on top of their lungs that I was a government spy from the media or ministry of roads!

There were 4 more youths whom I asked how old they were! They were 21, 28, 18, and 23 respectively! Woooooo….Young resources!  When I asked though, how many of  them would want to die, everyone had sounding reasons like finishing education, supporting their families, national and international contributions….big plans you know! It sounded none of them wanted to die from avoidable deaths! It’s on that time that we demanded to leave the damn taxi without paying a single coin! You know, when the youths say No in solidarity, even the Lion thinks again for a new tactic. We could enter it again on condition that the driver doesn’t go over 80Km/Hr, and that only 14 people would be accepted as per the law! Guess what, we won the battle, despite the driver and his conductor cursing the gods under their teeth!

Bottom line, if someone really cares about their life, why would they want to have a picnic with the devil himself? I am reliably informed that over loading on the road doesn’t just happen in Uganda, neither is it only happening in Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Namibia, it’s all over the continent! Looking at the productive years lost if a young person looses his or her life, worse still, to ‘avoidable’ deaths, shouldn’t we get concerned? Hello #Youths!!!! I am Talking To You!!!

On 16th April 2012 Director of YOURS Mr Floor Lieshout officially launched our new publication; The Youth and Road Safety Action Kit at the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration meeting in Washington DC, USA. The launch coincided with our official online launch on the YOURS website!

YOURS has officially launched the Youth and Road Safety Action Kit and this first publication has already struck postive chords with road safety experts, campaigners and decision makers who have endorsed this groundbreaking document and complimented its unique design, approach and methodology.

Director of YOURS – Mr Floor Lieshout travelled to Washington DC with to attend the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration and launch the kit in front of the eyes of the world’s road safety decision makers. The meeting, hosted by the World Bank opened the platform for updates on the Decade of Action, The Road Safety Fund and the upcoming General Assembly meeting on forthcoming road safety resolutions. As an official member of the UNRSC, YOURS was given a platform to share the eagerly awaited Youth and Road Safety Action Kit publication and informing global road safety leaders on its purpose, use and application.

Mr Lieshout’s presentation is available to view in the video attached on the right column and in brief, focuses on the unique style of the action kit; its dynamic handmade 3D world presentation, scientific yet appealing and accessible design and the opportunity to maximize its use to train young people all around the world on youth and road safety issues and the basics to really get started with road safety action.

During his presentation, Floor thanked Michelin, founding member of YOURS for their continued support and making the kit a possiblity. He also thanked IUHPE for their assistance and CDC for their technical support as well as praising the work of his team for making the idea of an accessible kit that can be picked up and used by and young person and used for road safety action a reality.

Floor also invited the UNRSC and others to help us translate the kit into other languages, parter with us to deliver youth and road safety workshops using the basis of the kit as we did in Oman and of course to download the kit for free here.

This presentation was a momentous occasion for YOURS and received with great positvity and optimism. YOURS’ mission to work  with many to dramatically reduce the amount of young people dying on the world’s roads is a step closer to becoming a bigger reality.