The Global Status Report on Road Safety is the most comprehensive report covering 182 countries around the world and accounting for almost 99% of the world population. Conducted by the World Health Organization, the report provides the low down on global statistics related to road safety alongside individual country profiles documenting mortality rates, road safety laws and other facets of road safety. The document will be used all across the world as a baseline of research and statistics relating to road safety, but what does it mean for young people?
Today (14th March 2013) global leaders in the field of road safety have gathered at the World Heatlh Organization HQ in Geneva, Switzerland to launch the The Global status report on road safety 2013.
The report presents information on road safety from 182 countries, accounting for almost 99% of the world’s population.
The report indicates that worldwide the total number of road traffic deaths remains unacceptably high at 1.24 million per year.
Only 28 countries, covering 7% of the world’s population, have comprehensive road safety laws on five key risk factors: drinking and driving, speeding, and failing to use motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints. This report serves as a baseline for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, declared by the UN General Assembly. Made possible through funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, this is the second in a series of Global status reports.
The report also presents data in an accessible and innovative infograpics which highlight its key findings and global trends in global road safety;
The report shows that road traffic crashes are still the biggest killer of young people globally and males are still most affected in road crashes.
These statistics show that youth and road safety action remains high on the agenda and more action is needed. It illustrates the vulnerable position of young people in traffic and that more efforts are necessary to involve young people in road safety, from advocacy to education to the implementation of robust road safety national plans covering road safety laws, enforcement, infrastructure, safer vehicles and awareness.
Road crashes remain disproportionately high in low and middle income countries even though middle income countries have a only half amount of the worlds vehicles. While high income countries have a great proportion of vehicles, crashes in high income countries are lower.
So what does this mean? It suggests that high income countries, while have nearly half of all the world’s vehicles, have enacted road safety measures; systems, strategies policies, laws and so forth which reduced the amount of people killed in those countires. It suggests that the economy of a country is related to the amount of road crashes in that country. For low income and middle income countries, the amount of road crashes is unacceptably high. These countries are those in Africa, South America, South East Asia and Eastern Europe. More action is needed.
Launch of the Global Road Safety Report – World Health Organiazation HQ, Gevena, Switzerland
As you read this, global leaders have gathered at the World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland to launch this report. The launch has been endorsed by world leaders who have said;
This report is a milestone in the international road safety field. It gives us a full description of the situation around the world in almost every country at the start of this Decade of Action for Road Safety. The world is rapidly motorizing, and as this report shows, more concerted action is needed, and it is needed now. Without this, we can expect a rise in the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.– Dr Margaret Chan, Director General, World Health Organization
We all know what works: increasing seat-belt and helmet wearing; enforcing speed limits; reducing drinking and driving; shifting to sustainable transport modes such as bus rapid transit; creating pedestrian space and protected bike lanes. What’s needed is a global commitment by both the public and the private sectors to implement these strategies. Mr Micheal Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York (Bloomberg Philanthropies)
The Global status report on road safety 2013 will be such an important tool, as it will allow progress to be measured throughout the Decade. This progress is so desperately needed, in order to avert the tragedies and great sadness that come as a result of losing a loved one in a road traffic crash. It is my hope that the Decade will indeed achieve its goal of saving millions of lives. We all have a role in making the Decade a success. Ms Michelle Yeoh, Global Ambassador to Make Roads Safe and Internationally renowned actress (BAFTA Nominee)
On the panel of distinguished delegates to discuss the report is director of YOURS Mr Floor Lieshout. He joins a panel with Dr Kelly Henning, Director, International Health Programmes, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mr David Ward, Director General, FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, Mr Pieter Venter, Chief Executive Officer, GRSP: Global Road Safety Partnership, Professor Adnan Hyder, Director, International Injury Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University Mr Jose Luis Irigoyen, Director, Transport, Water, Information and Communication Technologies.
Mr Lieshout said,
Road Traffic Injuries are still the leading killer of young people aged 15-29. It’s an unacceptable price to for youth to pay for mobility!
Download the report in the right banner and view video statements for the launch of the report in the links. We strive to use this report as evidence that youth need to be part of the solution of road safety, let’s work together & reduce leading cause of death in young people.