South Africans pay a high toll for road traffic crashes, especially amongst young males aged 14-35. In July 2017, we partnered with the Global Road Safety Partnership South Africa (GRSP ZA), the Government of South Africa (Ministry of Health and Transport) and the Michelin Corporate Foundation to deliver the first Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety Training in the country. 20 young leaders, selected for their activism and standing in their communities joined YOURS in Limpopo Province to be trained on road safety knowledge and peer education methods.

Michelin, in their ground breaking approach to global road safety, and whom are long standing founding member of YOURS funded the programme (through the Michelin Corporate Foundation) to equip these young people with the skills they needed to reach out to their communities and raise road safety consciousness across society. The project was organized by GRSP ZA in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Limpopo and the Department for Transport.

Every year over 210,000 people are killed in road crashes and millions more are seriously injured in Commonwealth countries. Today road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5-29 years. This is a major challenge for Commonwealth countries as over 60% of their populations are under 30. Improved road safety must become a major priority for Commonwealth countries concerned to protect the wellbeing and health of their children and young people.

Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative launched by the Towards Zero Foundation: setting an agenda to halve road fatalities and serious injuries by 2030

Road safety in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth is very diverse. Fatality rates in road crashes range from 3 to 35 per 100,000 population. However, in nearly all Commonwealth countries fatality and injury rates are rising rather than falling. In 2015 Commonwealth countries strongly supported the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which include commitments to road safety. Urgent action is now required to ensure that road deaths and serious injuries across the Commonwealth are halved by 2030.

Hosted by the Towards Zero Foundation, under the patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Michael of Kent, the new Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative (CRSI) addressed the action needed to prevent a decade of predictable and preventable death and serious injury on the roads of Commonwealth countries.

Statement by HRH Prince Michael of Kent

“I am proud to serve as the Patron of the Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative (CRSI). The purpose of the CRSI is to raise the profile of road safety on the agenda of the Commonwealth and encourage stronger action by its 53 members countries to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. Every year over 210,000 people are killed in road crashes in Commonwealth countries and many more experience life changing injuries. Children and young people, accounting for over 60% of the population of the Commonwealth, are especially at risk.

Based on the Commonwealth’s current priorities for youth, health, and sustainable development, the CRSI aims to halve the number of people killed or seriously injured in a new decade of action for road safety to 2030. Bringing together experts and practitioners from across the Commonwealth, the Initiative will encourage implementation of effective, evidence based, policies that can save lives.

Even though the road safety performance of many Commonwealth country differs widely, they all face a common challenge to prevent a rising tide of road crash injury. Asdemand for road transport increases the task of improving road safety becomes ever more urgent. We need a combination of safer roads, safer road users, and safer vehicles, all managed together in a road transport system that is safer and sustainable by design. And with road traffic injuries now the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years, I strongly believe that road safety mustbe also become a major priority in child and adolescent health. We know that most traffic deaths and serious injuries are predictable and preventable. The Commonwealth is a unique forum that is well placed to share expertise and to foster partnerships for road injury prevention. That is why I believe the Commonwealth in the decade ahead can and should become a world leader in road safety”.

• setting a Commonwealth target to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030

• prioritising road safety as a key focus issue for child, youth and adolescent health;

• adopting the Safe System Approach to road injury prevention in high, middle, & low-income Commonwealth countries;

• action to promote safer roads, safer vehicles, and safer road users;

• promoting good governance and road safety;

• promoting workplace road safety;

• building multi-sector Commonwealth partnerships for road safety;

• integrating road safety within the Sustainable Development Goals.

The #SpeakUp campaign provides an opportunity for civil society to generate demands for strong leadership for road safety, especially around concrete, evidence-based interventions which will save lives. It will also inspire leaders to take action by showcasing strong leadership for road safety within governments, international agencies, NGOs, foundations, schools and universities and private companies.

On Friday 10th May, 2019 from 3pm – 4pm BST (10am – 11am EST), we will team up with youth across the globe to host a Global Youth Twitter Chat using the hashtag – #SpeakUpforRoadSafety

We will be discussing topics via Twitter and you can take part really easily. Just join in during the time with the hashtag above. We invite all activists, youth-participating organizations, nonprofits, and anyone who have a passion for youth and road safety to join us in this conversation. We will be focusing on questions such as what does meaningful youth participation mean to you?

What is a Twitter Chat?
A Twitter chat is a public Twitter conversation around one unique hashtag. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it. Twitter chats are based on specific topics to regularly connect people with these interests. You can join us with the hashtag #SpeakUpforRoadSafety.

The Twitter chat is being run by our North America Regional Champion Jacob Smith on the YOURS Twitter Profile.

If you or your organization is interested in participating, please email us for more information. Email Jacob on jacob@youthforroadsafety.org

FOLLOW YOURS ON TWITTER

Road traffic injuries have now become the eighth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of death for 5–29-year-olds. Many of these deaths would be preventable with strategic action, yet this issue does not receive the attention and funding given to other non-communicable diseases. The result is that, despite UN-mandated targets, road deaths globally are not decreasing.

Across the world, nearly 1000 young people people are killed in road traffic crashes every day. Road traffic crashes are the single biggest killer of young people aged 15-29.

NGOs at the Global Meeting discussed actions that would enable governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders together to reduce the unacceptable and preventable loss of life on the world’s roads. This included preparations for the upcoming UN-mandated Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety which will be held in Sweden next year and plans for the upcoming UN Global Road Safety Week, which will be held 6–12 May 2019. YOURS have worked with the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) to develooped the 5th UNGRSW campaign and will be organizing a 2nd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety as a prevent to the 3rd Ministeral Conference on Road Safety in Sweden. This event will draw much needed attention to the global crisis facing youth on the world’s roads and bring youth to the decision making table as key partners, part of the road safety solution.

Lotte Brondum, Executive Director, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, said, “Every day 3,700 people die on the worlds’ roads. This is a tragedy of pandemic proportions. Each victim is not just a number but a mother, father, sister, brother, child, or friend.

Urgent action is needed. Governments need to prioritize political will and funding to road safety in their country. The upcoming Third Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Sweden next year is an opportunity for national governments to demonstrate their commitment to saving lives. We urge them to attend the Conference and to engage with the NGOs in their country. They are the eyes, ears, and voices of their communities and they know what needs to be done. They are valuable partners and they are ready to help.”