International Risk Reduction Day is observed every year on the 13^th of August. The day represents a global call to governments and organizations from all over the world to work toward a culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Risk reduction is multi-sectoral; it links policies on land use, building codes, public health, education, environmental protection, and climate change adaptability. Road crashes are among the major risks for the health of the general population, especially among the youth, worldwide. 

Road Crashes as a Risk
Road crashes continue to injure and take the lives of people from all over the world. There are several risk factors, most of which can be based on the five pillars of road safety, that contribute to the severe effects of road crashes.

Improper road safety management, unsafe roads, unsafe vehicles, unsafe road users, and inadequate post-crash response could increase the risk of people getting injured, handicapped, or killed on the road.

Improper road safety management means problems and setbacks in the strategy, targets, and funding in programs and projects for creating safer roads and more sustainable mobility. Leadership affects the push for road safety in local, regional, and global settings.

Unsafe infrastructure, unsafe vehicles, and unsafe road users are factors that everyone lives with and are exposed to every day. Roads that have deteriorated or have low systems can result in drivers losing control of their vehicles or of vehicles getting more worn and unsafe.

Post-crash care is also an important factor to consider when discussing the risk. Good post-crash responses would mean an improved ability of health through appropriate emergency treatment and long-term rehabilitation but a poor one could mean dying or living with a permanent disability.

Speeding is also important to consider in road crash risks. The National Safety Council, speeding reduces the amount of time the driver has to react to dangerous situations to avoid road crash. It records that speeding was a factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities, killing an average of 25 people per day.

Road crashes are the leading killer of young people aged 15-29 worldwide.

Reducing the Risk
International Day of Risk Reduction celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness on the importance of reigning in the risks that they face.

Recently, the United Nations has released a resolution declaring the new Decade of Action for Road Safety. The document commends member states and organizations that have made significant efforts to promote road safety and provide sustainable mobility for the community.

The UN Road Safety Trust Fund is one of the global road safety initiatives used to help achieve SDG Target 3.6 – halving the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2030 – and SDG Target 11.2 – provide access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

Head of UNECE, Olga Algayeriva explains that the Road Safety Trust Fund “will serve as a catalyst for much-needed progress towards the road safety targets of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Another key initiative is Vision Zero, which is designed to eliminate traffic accident fatalities completely. The programs under Vision Zero are specific to preventing the death of vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists while others are described as “more expansive”.

Multiple road safety initiatives have been created but there is still more work to be done.

YOURS and its Mission to Make the World’s Road for Youth
YOURS believes that youth play a vital role in the road safety revolution. The best way to reduce the risk of road crashes is to eliminate them completely by engaging and involving youth in global road safety development efforts.

Earlier this year, in July, the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety was launched. The Coalition united individual youth and organizations and guides and prepares them to take action on road safety and safe mobility issues. The Coalition champions meaningful youth participation in road safety and beyond.

“We need a revolution for action on road safety. Surely we must look to young people to lead and energize this revolution.” Floor Lieshout

Research has shown that young people are “assets” in disaster and risk management. Young people aged 15 to 24 make up 1.2 billion of the world’s population, coming up to 16%. It only makes sense to involve such a huge part of the population in creating solutions for global issues, including road crashes.

Be part of the road safety movement!

JOIN THE COALITION

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is mandated to promote international cooperation on economic, social, and cultural issues. ECOSOC promotes higher standards of living, international solutions, and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. ECOSOC granted special consultative status to YOURS – Youth for Road Safety!

New Privileges and Responsibilities
The special consultative status enables YOURS to actively engage with ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies which include the United Nations Secretariat.

In accordance to ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, non-government organizations granted consultative status will support the work of the UN by promoting knowledge of its principals and activities which are aligned with its own aims, purposes, nature, and scope of its competencies. This enables the Council and its bodies to receive expert information or advice based on special competencies of the organization in its subject matter.

In the case of YOURS, topics and subjects would revolve around youth and the road safety movement and safe, sustainable mobility issues.

Because of its status, YOURS is entitled to designate official representatives to the UN Headquarters in New York and the UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna. These representatives will be given the opportunity to register and participate in events, conferences, and activities of the UN. YOURS is also able to submit written statements and oral presentations relevant to youth and road safety.

Pushing the Road Safety Agenda Forward
Part of the ECOSOC mandates includes the conduction of follow-ups and reviews of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which includes SDG Target 3.6, halving the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2030 and all related crosscutting fields of action.

As a special consultant, YOURS is able to push the road safety movement forward. Referencing the New Decade of Action, YOURS will be able to engage further with how the UN members and organizations can best address road crashes on a global scale by engaging and connecting with young people. It also enables us to engage formally in the ECOSOC Youth Forum. 

YOURS is obligated to submit reports on its activities that support the work of ECOSOC and the UN as a way to review the progress of special consultants.

The special consultative status of YOURS under ECOSOC was adopted on 24 June 2020 and communicated in September 2020.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ECOSOC 

In 2014, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety held a Youth Empowerment program for 34 Belizean youth. The program trained young leaders to effectively communicate issues of safe roads and sustainable mobility with fellow young people as Trainers of Facilitators. These young leaders trained 3000 youth across the country in Youth and Road Safety workshops as well as a host of road safety advocacy work across the country. The first program ran from 2014 to 2016.  Moving forward the into a second national road safety project, a Belize youth empowerment programme has three major points; Master Training, Training of Facilitators, and Safe School Zones Assessment.

Building Youth as Partners and Leaders
The Master Training program follows a three-lens model that focuses on working with youth as beneficiaries, engaging with youth as partners, and supporting youth as leaders. The model supports efforts to work with and for youth so that they are better equipped to handle development issues that affect them.

The three lens model is grounded on the idea of developing meaningful youth participation from a foundational base. The goal of the model is to develop youth as partners and leaders for global development which includes efforts toward safer roads and more sustainable mobility.

The Master Training program, through the three-lens model, has yielded effective results in Belize The 34 young Belizean leaders exceeded the expectations of the program and reached beyond the target of training and educating more than 3,000 young people through face-to-face workshops. To reach a wider audience, the Belizean youth created campaigns where they produced and distributed road safety materials to reach thousands of other young people.

The first 34 Belizean young leaders then created a group and had their organization registered as Belizean Youths for Road Safety (BYRS). BYRS soon began operating as partners of the Government of Belize to plan and deliver road safety workshops to their peers.

The success of the program led to YOURS officially partnering with the Government of Belize for a second time. Last year, 2019, YOURS Executive Director Floor Lieshout and Representative of the Government of Belize Yvonne Hyde signed a contract that renews the contract for the Belize Project.

YOURS Master Training 2020
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first part of the YOURS Master Training program has gone digital. The Master Training part of the program builds sustainability with the BYRS group to be able to effectively train new Facilitators to reach more young people across the country.

YOURS is currently in the middle of the training program, working with six Belizean youth leaders. YOURS Head of Communications & Training, Manpreet Darroch, is leading the sessions. The participants meet through video calls, taking advantage of online tools to maintain interactive sessions. 

The training program is part of a bigger project that is working toward getting more youth involved in road safety and sustainable mobility efforts. The end of the program will see the Belizean youth participants capable of preparing and organizing a full Training of Facilitators based on the Master Training program. The participants will also have a full understanding of the YOURS TOF Curriculum, setting them up for its successful delivery in 2021.

Follow the progress of the Belizean Youths for Road Safety by connecting with them! 

CONNECT WITH BYRS READ ABOUT THE BELIZE WORKSHOP

The United Nations has prioritized road safety since the first decade of action launched in 2011. The first Decade titled Saving Millions of Lives lays down global road safety data. The document shows that road traffic crashes claim the lives of over a million people annually and leaves another 20-50 million injured. The New Decade of Action recalls and reaffirms earlier resolutions and the United Nations’ commitment to work tirelessly for the full implementation of the agenda by 2030 ensuring no one is left behind.

The First Decade of Action
The First Decade of Action lists a global plan guided by the five pillars of road safety; road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, and post-crash response. It calls on member states to implement the global plan, referencing other countries that have had a successful experience with projects that have reduced traffic deaths and injuries.

The document lists youth as supporters in the move to achieve SDG Target 3.6, halving the number of road-related deaths and injuries by the year 2020. It challenges youth to become road safety ambassadors, promoting the importance of safe roads and sustainable mobility. It also invites them to join youth assemblies and help ensure road safety around schools.

Included in the list of supporters are policy-makers, nongovernment organizations, private companies, victims and survivors, and the media to commit to promoting and prioritizing road safety in their respective capacities.

The New Decade of Action
The New Decade of Action for Road Safety, launched last 18 August 2020, sets the new deadline for SDG Target 3.6. The document proclaimed that the New Decade of Action happens during 2021-2030.

The resolution expresses concern about the growing number of road-related deaths and injuries that happen all over the world. It calls on member states who have made successful road safety efforts to continue and invites other countries that have not joined the movement to get involved.

The UN Resolution mentions youth twice. The first as a call to member states to promote road safety knowledge and awareness among the population – especially among youth – through education, training, and publicity campaigns so that they can “propagate good road safety practices in the community. The second mention recognizes youth among the most vulnerable, urging member states to implement road safety policies to protect young people and other vulnerable road users.

Youth and the Road Safety Movement
It is a known fact that youth are the most affected when it comes to road crashes with the majority of the victims coming up to the ages 15-29. Because youth are the most affected, there is a great need to involve them in local, national, and global road safety efforts. 

In a conversation with the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, Youth Advisory Board Member Ritu Jain talks about what the UN Resolution means for youth. “In order to achieve behavioral change in the highways, governments need to involve youth in educational material designs. Road safety education is not in place in every country; the theory only focuses on signs and laws, but it doesn’t consider behavior changes between different ages. Youth should meaningfully participate in the design of those materials as well.”

Ritu talks about the importance of youth in efforts to achieve SDG Target 3.6 and the rest of the global goals but also raises the importance of equipping them with knowledge through education and other capacity development tools. 

Youth have begun to claim their space. Youth-led efforts toward safer roads and sustainable mobility are beginning to grow and develop. Be part of the road safety revolution today! Learn more about the youth movement for road safety by visiting the Global Youth Coalition. 

LEARN ABOUT THE COALITION 

As part of continuous efforts to engage and connect with youth and get them involved in road safety, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) hosted a webinar that focuses on youth and road safety amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The panelists include Sidumo Khoza, who works under research and development at the RTMC, and Olivia Nalwadda, Youth Advisory Board Member for the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety. 

Road Safety and the COVID-19 Pandemic
The webinar talked about road safety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this April, His Excellency Fikile Mbalalu, Minister of Transport of South Africa explained that the lockdown has helped curb road fatalities.

He reported that “As at the end of the Easter weekend, 26 fatal crashes were recorded, which resulted in 28 fatalities. Most crashes involved pedestrians and single vehicles overturned, with contributions of 38% and 19% respectively.”

Apart from reducing the number of road-related deaths and injuries, the COVID-19 pandemic has also exposed the need for safer and more sustainable forms of mobility.

It has shown that public transport vehicles work best when passengers and commuters are not overloaded and that other forms of sustainable transport, such as cycling, if effective and convenient provided that cars and other vehicles follow speeding laws. 

South African Youth and Road Safety
According to Safer Spaces, South Africa bears the highest burden of road fatalities in Africa. Road-related deaths in South Africa account for the 25.1 fatalities per 100,000 of the total African population. Road crashes are ranked to be the 9^thleading cause of death for youth in Africa.

Because of this, the RTMC sought to create a coalition for road safety for the youth of South Africa. This was attempted a few years back, however, it did not gain momentum because of the lack of commitment and involvement from key stakeholders.

Recent projects, activities, and initiatives by organizations like Youth for Road Safety and the Global Youth Coalition have reignited the need and importance of youth involvement in the road safety revolution.  

Following positive youth feedback. the RTMC is re-energizing the South African Youth Coalition for Road Safety, beginning with the Youth and Road Safety Webinar. 

Impact of the Youth Coalition
As one of the panelists, Youth Advisory Board Member for the Global Youth Coalition, Olivia Nalwadda, shared her experience with the Coalition. Olivia talked about how engaging and investing in youth is a long term commitment.

She also emphasized the need to provide youth with the opportunity to connect with key stakeholders, provided that they have been given the skills, knowledge, and capacity development tools needed to create a significant and lasting impact.

YOURS and the Global Youth Coalition continuously work on these key aspects to make sure that youth are engaged and involved in local and global road safety and sustainable mobility efforts.

Learn more about our youth activities by checking out our workshops. Be part of the change and join the movement by becoming a member of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety. 

ABOUT THE GLOBAL YOUTH COALITION