Around the world, communities are committing to eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, with an approach called Vision Zero. A growing group of these cities is focused on improving safety in school zones and other places where children and youth walk and bicycle. Vision Zero for Youth recognizes that starting with youth can be the catalyst to build community support for Vision Zero, and that Vision Zero should include a focus on youth.
Children deserve safe places to walk and bike—starting with the trip to school. The ability of people to safely walk and bicycle is a vital part of what makes communities thrive.
Safe walking and biking is important for children’s safety and health and how Vision Zero for Youth can impact far beyond the trip to school.
Everyone needs to be active and everyone needs to be safe Pedestrian crashes rising as inactivity takes an even greater toll
Every day, approximately 15 pedestrians die on our streets. (1)
Though total traffic deaths in the US fell by nearly 18 percent from 2006 to 2015, pedestrian deaths rose by 12 percent during the same ten year period. (1)
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. (2)
(1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NHTSA). (2017). Traffic Safety Facts. Retrieved from https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812375. (2) Kohl, Harold W et al. (2012). The pandemic of physical inactivity: global action for public health. The Lancet, Volume 380, Issue 9838, 294 – 305.
With Vision Zero for Youth, cities create safe places for everyone to be active
Vision Zero for Youth is an important opportunity to accelerate getting to zero traffic deaths, starting with children. Today, cities and communities across the U.S. are committing to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries, often as part of Vision Zero initiatives. A growing group of these places are including a focus on improving safe walking and bicycling in school zones and other places where youth are present. There are many reasons why focusing on safety for youth can be an important component. Children and youth need and deserve special protection, and starting with youth can be the spark that builds community support for a broader Vision Zero program.
Starting near schools: why it works
Starting safety initiatives near schools and in places where youth often walk and bike, first and foremost creates a safer environment for children. In addition, prioritizing the needs of child pedestrians and bicyclists can form an integral piece of a plan to meet larger safety goals. Safety measures targeted at protecting youth, whether in controlling speed, creating safer, improved walking and biking facilities, or in changing behaviors, have broader effects that benefit entire communities. Based on our experience serving as the SRTS clearinghouse for the Federal SRTS Program for eleven years, we have learned that starting where youth walk and bike offers five ways to integrate into broader safety initiatives such as Vision Zero plans.
Areas around schools provide a logical starting point to employ innovative infrastructure to improve driver behavior and pedestrian safety at crossings.
Programs for youth create opportunities to try behaviors that inspire community-wide change.
School-zone focused efforts serve as starting points for using strategies to tackle speed that may require more political traction.
Improving safety where youth walk and bike supports safer walking and biking networks in general.
Programs that aim to protect children encourage broad support from the community.
From participating in leadership opportunities in high school to establishing his own consulting firm where he works with national nonprofit organizations in advocacy, Jacob Smith remains passionate about promoting safety issues and youth leadership.
“I am currently right now with various organizations. Most of them are youth participating organizations,” Smith stated. “Back in high school at Whitehouse High School, I was involved with FCCLA, which is Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. I went from serving as a national officer on the board of directors and now they are actually one of my clients. The organization is pretty strong in a lot of subjects, but ultimately it prepares students to make an impact in their families, careers and communities.”
Though he always considered going into a field of advocacy, he couldn’t imagine how large a part he would play or on how grand a stage he would perform.
“My biggest thing is mobilizing young people beyond safety,” Smith affirmed. “Safety is my passion and specifically traffic safety or road safety. Back in high school I was part of a few different organizations I still stay connected with but I never thought I would be on this scale in really being instrumental in mobilizing communities.”
Many might remember Smith as the high school student who, along with a teacher and another student, was hospitalized following a vehicle accident while returning from an FCCLA event in Corpus Christi in April 2014. It was his junior year.
As a result of the traumatic brain injury he suffered in that accident, Smith cannot drive himself. Yet, as he once wrote and still believes, we all have a choice “to get bitter or get better.”
He uses his experience to help others avoid suffering preventable road traffic deaths or the injuries resulting from such preventable accidents. Smith declares it is still his driving passion.
“I know every day there is someone my age that dies that could have been prevented. If they didn’t die, they are living with emotional, physical and mental changes that they could have avoided or someone else could have prevented,” he declared. “We should have a generation where students don’t have to say goodbye to their classmates their senior year.”
In an effort to make that desire a reality, Smith also works with YOURS, Youth for Road Safety.
“It is one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced,” Smith stated. “This organization is based in the Netherlands and I have always admired what they do. Its focus is to put youth on the decision making table on the local, state and national level regarding youth and road safety because we are the most affected, the most vulnerable age group globally.They implement a range of initiatives to empower young people as well as create an environment where young people can take responsibility for their lives and act to make the roads safer for their peers and themselves.”
“I am essentially the leading voice when it comes to global issues and representing our region,” he stated when asked about his involvement. “I am also focusing on how we can mobilize more youth advocates in the United States.”
Smith discussed the reasons for his passion to involve youth and it wasn’t simply because they are an at-risk demographic.
“Youth have an innovative and fresh perspective, not that anyone else doesn’t, but they are the future leaders and future decision-makers so we’re doing ourselves a disservice if we’re not including our future leaders at the table,” he explained.
Due to his advocacy efforts, Smith is one of six to be honored with the Unsung Heroes of Highway Safety award Thursday, Sept. 13, in Washington D.C. at the Russell Senate office building.
“The Ford Driving Skills for Life and the Governors Highway Safety Association, which is the leading organization that [represents] highway safety offices across the United States are honoring six leaders who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the traffic safety field through passion and education,” Smith explained about the award.
Being named as one of the honorees appeared to catch Smith a little by surprise.
“It’s extremely honorable because being only 21, I consider myself new to the field,” he commented. “It’s an honor for someone to recognize me for the accomplishments I’ve made and the impact I’ve made in communities thus far.”
Jacob has officially joined YOURS as a Regional Champion for North America and is a welcome addition to youth champion family who are making impact around the world.
Manpreet Darroch, Focal Point for the Youth Network for Road Safety said, “Jacob is an inspiring young person who had turned his tragic crash into action that is preventing the same to happen to others. Jacob will champion the road safety message further in the region and already has some ambitious plans. We are proud to have such a talented and focused young man join our team”
Four pairs of engineering students from Italy, Lithuania and Poland have been recognised for projects to redesign and upgrade high-risk road infrastructure in the cities of Milan, Naples, Vilnius and Kraków.
The students’ projects were delivered as part of YEARS (Young Europeans Acting for Road Safety), a Europe-wide project on the road safety of young people managed by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and the UK’s Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) with the support of the European Commission, the German Road Safety Council (DVR) and VIAS Institute in Belgium. The awards ceremony is took place in Brussels on 12th September 18.
Young drivers and riders aged 15-25 are more likely to be killed on Europe’s roads than their older counterparts. Road collisions remain one of the highest external causes of death for young people. The risks are especially high for young males and for young riders.
Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC said: “It is truly inspiring to see how these young engineering students have taken the road safety into their own hands. They identified sites based on solid data analysis, designed innovative solutions, built stakeholder support and garnered media coverage of the issues. With talent and determination like this, Europe can be confident that the next generation of road engineers is ready and willing to play a role in reducing the thousands of deaths and serious injuries that still occur on our roads every year.”
David Davies, Executive Director of PACTS said: “Policy makers sometimes impose measures on young people and do not involve them enough in the process. We congratulate these eight students whose engineering skills and commitment to road safety are recognised in the YEARS awards. Our roads and vehicles are changing fast and we need such people to tackle the challenges of the future.”
Talking at the event, our Head of Communications Manpreet Darroch said: “Road traffic crashes remain the number health threat to life for young people globally. It is great to see these young engineers use their skills to push for a real change. Our goal at YOURS is to put young people in the centre of each element of the safe system to make them responsive youth issues. We want youth to be protected by a safe system. We want them to be involved, informed, engaged at all stages of policymaking. It is amazing to see the work young people can do here in Europe”.
About the award-winning projects
Lorenzo Pedron and Martina Baj from the University of Milan chose an intersection in a small town near Milan where collisions could occur as vehicles cut across a cycle path. The intervention’s aim was to give greater visibility to the cycle path so car drivers would pay more attention, reduce their speed and stop before the stop line.
The students worked with the local police to collect crash data and carried out analysis of driver behaviour at the high-risk site before recommending a solution. The project received the backing of the local council, mayor and was featured in local media.
Vincenzo Viro and Giuseppe Silvestro from the Technical University of Naples chose a dangerous intersection in Afragola, a suburb of Naples for their road safety project. Following research on crash statistics and a road safety inspection, the team identified the road’s design, lack of visibility, speeding by drivers, a lack of signalisation and the safety of vulnerable road users as the key issues to improve.
Following meetings with local authorities and after obtaining funding from the Safer Roads Foundation, an NGO, works were completed at the end of last year. The engineering team oversaw the creation of a mini roundabout, reconstruction of a traffic island, new pedestrian crossings and signalisation as well as improvement of the pavement.
Aivaras Paškauskas and Tomas Vičkačka from the University of Vilnius selected a high-risk site: a pedestrian crossing in the city of Molėtai, around 60km from Vilnius. The location was chosen in cooperation with local authorities and residents. The crossing is located close to a bus station, a residential area, two schools and a park and is part of a main walking route. Despite the key location, the crossing offered poor visibility in darkness and bad weather with lights turned off from 22:00 at night. The surrounding buildings and other objects also made pedestrians hard to see. The crossing is also used by children going to/from school and often not paying attention to the traffic.
The innovative solution developed by the team involves warning lights that are activated only when pedestrians and cyclists are detected at the crossing. The lights are also solar powered, removing the need for connection to the electricity network. The students developed positive relations with the local authority during the development of the technical solution and other sites are now being identified for upgrades as a direct result of the project.
Sylwia Pogodzinska and Dawid Dudek at the University of Kraków also targeted a pedestrian crossing located in Krakow for an upgrade through the implementation of a refuge island in order to improve crosswalk visibility, decrease vehicles speed, improve the visibility of pedestrians with an easy-to-implement, low cost but effective treatment.
The proposal was based on literature reviews and crash data collection.The students also used social media, online surveys and the university network to promote their project and the road safety of young people.
About ETSC ETSC is a Brussels-based independent non-profit making organisation dedicated to reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries in transport in Europe. Founded in 1993, ETSC provides an impartial source of expert advice on transport safety matters to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and Member States. It maintains its independence through funding from a variety of sources including membership subscriptions, the European Commission, and public and private sector support for various activities.
Recently, a national youth movement for road safety took place in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. It was one of the first times youths, through the collective anger for losing peers on the road, took to the streets to call for action and change. We are privileged to have a youth leader give his perspective on what happened in Bangladesh.
Education & Youth Engagement Are the Keys to Safe Road for Everyone
Just a month ago, two students were killed at Dhaka as two buses were racing for passengers, which sparked an outrage across the country, leading to a student movement. Their movement became an epidemic with students from one school after another joining the fray; the students even defied pouring rain, kept on protesting for consecutive days for safe roads for everyone, regulated traffic, proper licensing of drivers and the end of corruption in transport, which brought traffic to a standstill at the capital for a week.
Thousands of students not only stopped vehicles on the road and checked the driving license of their drivers, they even didn’t spare the VIPs, the police and even the judges. Unfit public transport vehicles, driven by children as old as 14, with utmost carelessness, were intercepted by the students and handed over to the police for a penalty. It’s not only that the students cracked down on illegal drivers, they also disciplined the traffic movement by dividing the city roads into different lanes. For the first time in the history of its existence, Dhaka got emergency corridors for ambulances and no one tried trespassing. Buses, heavy vehicles, private cars, taxis, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws, everyone got their designated lanes. The disciplined traffic movement not only earned the students fame and respect but also immense support from the common people of the city. Their slogans were quite innovative & unique too. At places, they held placards saying – “Road Closed, State Under Repair!” The protesters have also shown a sparkle of genius in using literary slogans. The most beautiful among them is ‘Jodi tumi voy pao, tobe tumi shesh | Jodi tumi rukhe daraao, tobe tumi Bangladesh (Frightened, you crumble; if you rise up, you’re Bangladesh!).
However, on the other side of the coin, it was a disappointment to have witnessed slang & vulgar slogans/play-cards against the police, the government and the entire system from these future nation-builders of the nation. There were also instances of disrespect and humiliation with the commuters, drivers, govt officials & senior citizens.
Probably some political or interest seeking groups might have tried to take the advantage of this movement. Intentionally or even unintentionally, some spread rumours too. Having said all this, the government could have addressed this movement much better; this would not have come even that far/worse, had the Government acted proactive & smart immediately after the accident (that resulted in the movement). These were the kids of only 14-15 years of age; handling them with care & affection would have been the best option. The aggression (of the students’ league associated with the ruling party) against the mass students was condemnable & unfortunate. The police remained mute spectators and showed their utmost servility to the ruling party’s students were in action! Many students were even expelled from the school for participating in the movement.
According to the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways, a private research group, more than 4,200 pedestrians were killed in road accidents last year, a 25 percent increase from 2016. Another report by the Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association said that last year alone, road accidents claimed 7,400 lives and leftover 16,000 injured. On average, 64 people die every day from injuries suffered in traffic accidents, a government-supervised survey reveals.
Frequent traffic accidents are taking place because of reckless driving, lack of awareness by pedestrians, lack of monitoring by the law enforcement agencies & regulatory bodies, long-time driving without break, employing unskilled drivers and lack of traffic responsibility of passengers.
How can a ruling party minister be the President of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation? Longstanding impunity is largely responsible for leading transport workers into believing that the authorities are there to protect their interests and not those of commuters and therefore untouchable by the law. There has been hardly any change in the mentality of drivers and their assistants. These people seem to be suffering from the notion that they are above the law and that authorities are there to protect their interests and not those of commuters. These accidents are occurring every single day and authorities simply cannot adopt a laidback attitude to such murderous behavior.
Transport workers on the road essentially lack self-discipline, healthy food habits and rest/sleep. They are overworked, only resting on a ferry or in a jam, but many are reputedly into drugs to keep awake and apparently to feel good. Despite a strong directive from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 25 to enforce five-hour driving limit for the transport drivers on highways, as well as provide alternative drivers, restrooms, and service centers at specific locations along the highways, the situation has hardly improved. Some drivers are expert in driving with one hand (two fingers actually) while talking on the mobile phone. Clearly there is lack of minimum education among majority of drivers to the level of being able to read and write, and most importantly appreciate life. Road Safety should be taught from school.
A driver’s job should not be an employment opportunity gifted by nepotism because human life is involved.
Recently, Bangladesh’s cabinet approved the draft of a new road safety law. Although it does not include death penalty (Maximum 5 years jail for causing death by rash driving), the new law includes stricter punishments than the existing law for violation of different traffic rules. Making laws won’t give any expected outcome if the Law Enforcing Agencies & Govt. Officials don’t implement the laws and the passengers develop awareness & respect for law.
One accident not only murders an individual but a whole family & its dream as well in the context of the socio-economy of our community.
The chilling story of Rezaul Karim, the man allegedly pushed off a minibus by the helper and then squashed to death by the driver of the minibus he was riding, sends shivers down the spine! Rajib Hossain, a third-year student of Government Titumir College, lost his hand (eventually died) after it got stuck between two speeding buses trying to overtake each other in the capital. After reckless driving claimed the lives of two college students in the capital on July 29, Meanwhile, a government minister with ties to transport unions, triggered fresh outrage by saying, “A road crash has claimed 33 lives in India’s Maharashtra; but do they talk about it the way we do?” The people associated with the transport industries started from the drivers, helpers, and transport owners to decision-makers- what most of them lack is Compassion. Making money is just OK, but not by compromising people’s lives.
On a different note, Bulgaria’s ministers of public works, transport and interior affairs resigned recently after heavy criticism directed at the government over a deadly tourist bus crash. But, here in Bangladesh, power & position matter more than human lives. If I see this from a bird’s eye view, I feel, that changing the mindset is very important & we need to incorporate lessons in the education system that makes people more human; not a money-making machine.
Around 40% of Bangladesh’s population are youth and the majority of the road accident victims are youths & students. So, the youths do have a certain role here.
We need to impart road safety education to our youth. The dream of Safe Road for Everyone is in the hands of youth and they should practice road safety and propagate road safety among others. They can do so by holding street shows, creating awareness and most importantly by responsible behavior. They should also discourage disobedience of traffic rules by explaining the perils in doing so. They should not preach, rather they should ask the offenders why are they committing an offense? Seldom, would there be a genuine answer for this act and the offender would immediately realize his folly and fall in line.
Finally, I will say, during the massive movement after two students were killed due to two bus racing, the entire world has witnessed the energy of our students & youth; we just need to channel it through the right direction!
Chowdhury Kaiser Mohammad Riyadh is a YOURS Advocate, Self-help Educator & a Global Youth Ambassador. He is the Co-founder of World Happiness & Peace Foundation. He is also an adviser to Asian Education Network & Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD).
A DAY WITHOUT FATALITIES ON EUROPE’S ROADS? That’s the aim of Project EDWARD each year. Launched in 2016, the project is supported by drivers across the continent, plus very generous public and private sector partners. 2018’s day of action is Wednesday 19 September. The long-term aim is to spearhead significant and sustained reduction in death and serious injury on roads across the world.
We have spent time reflecting on recent results which paint a very mixed picture of progress in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Europe’s roads. For the first few years of this decade, countries across the EU have been highly successful in pursuing the 2020 50% reduction target. But the arrival of a second successive year of disappointing news shows that this downward trend has stagnated.
We need to speed up our efforts, and one initiative we believe can make a big impact is the European Day Without A Road Death – Project EDWARD for short. EDWARD will encourage all road users to reflect on their behaviour and attitude.
After all, driver behaviour remains the most important barrier to progress as we approach 2020 and its reduction targets.
Drivers are unwittingly or sometimes knowingly putting other road users at risk in so many ways, perhaps by speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt, using the phone while driving, using vehicles they have not kept roadworthy, parking their cars on bicycle lanes, blocking pedestrian crossings, not turning on their lights or engaging in risky manoeuvres.
Many cyclists and pedestrians increase their risk levels by choosing to ignore the rules or look for risky short cuts. In the days leading up to the Project EDWARD day, we want all road users to think – even for a few short minutes – about the risks they face, the risks they may pose to others and how they can go about reducing those risks.
TISPOL’s target is that no one should die on the roads of Europe on Wednesday 19 September. And as we pause to reflect on how we use the roads, we believe that Project EDWARD can make a significant contribution towards further sizeable and sustained reductions in road death and serious injury.
So whether you represent a national government, a private organisation, a public agency, a charity, a school, college or university, or whether you simply care as an individual, please join us and make the pledge to support Project EDWARD, and do your bit to reduce risk and improve safety for the people who use our roads.
Project EDWARD is supported by all 30 TISPOL member countries (TISPOL is the European Traffic Police Network), and a growing number of well-known brands and road safety organisations have pledged to work with TISPOL to promote the messages of EDWARD as far and wide as possible. We hope that, with support from colleagues and partners across Europe, Project EDWARD will be a high-profile way of reminding everyone that there is a great deal of hard work going on across Europe towards 2020 casualty reduction goals – and beyond that, too.
We want everyone to feel part of this and to know that small actions lead to big improvements.
Our regular columnist Mr Brian Bilal Mwebaze from Uganda is back with his take on all things youth and road safety in Africa. Brian gives a unique perspective on the things he sees around him. As a self confessed “public health freak”, Brian’s unique viewpoint as a youth champion for road safety, a social entrepreneur and a public health expert offers candid expression of the state-of-play in the African region. This month he asks the question, “Why can’t we create roads for humans and not just for cars?”.
July has been a very a busy month at YOURS! Read about how our South Africa Youths training that took place in Polokwane, Limpopo where we met up again to hear about their progress a year on. Read more about the South Africa follow up training.
You will also like to read here about our work with Amend where we helped to deliver a strategic advocacy training with NGO leaders from across the region. Amends’ safe school area program provides simple, targeted infrastructure measures. They recently completed a multiyear impact evaluation; the program reduced injury rates by more than 26% and lessened the severity of the injuries that did occur.
There is huge news from Liberia where the Government Endorsed Road Safety! Nearly after 5 years of advocacy and ambitious Road Safety Campaigns by Save Life Liberia, the Liberian government has finally endorsed road safety as a serious need to be tackled. According to Vasco T. Masseh, the Executive Director Save Life Save Life Liberia Inc., the official LNP Road Safety Week was launched on July 21, 2018 at the Monrovia City Hall where the Mayor of Monrovia City, Honorable Jefferson Koijii who narrowly survived fatal accident in June, conveyed President George Weah’s message of endorsement for road safety!
There was streets parade, pedestrian sensitization and indoor ceremony that drew public attention. The occasion was graced by, the Sweden Ambassador, Ministers of Transport, Public Work, Inspector General of Police, Disabled Association of Liberia, Motorcyclists Union, GIZ, AU, WorldBank, ECOWAS, youth and student groupings. More here.
Coming back to East Africa, there is tremendous road safety infrastructural projects getting launched. Check out what has been called Uganda’s Most Beautful Road. But who uses these roads? It can’t be vehicles alone; Humans of all characteristics, and animals use them too.
In one of my mission to Kyaka Refugee Settlement, we were delayed for about 10 minutes to allow a herd of cattle to cross. That reminded me of a colleague @Mpunge_Micheal when he sent me this tweet and picture “As a pedestrian, I think I was not thought of by the planners of this road off the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway (from Mpala to the Airport)”.
Along the same road, there’re schools, people live there, there’re shops and even if it were a forest, there would be animals chilling in there. For a child, elderly, or a person living with physical disabilities to cross this road at peak hours, they will need a lot of patience and luck. Human life shouldn’t be like this however, simple and effective road design mechanisms can help people walk, cycle and be safer.
Roads should be designed for humans and animals; not just vehicles.
