Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.2 million people every year, with more than 90% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Young people are particularly affected, with road traffic injuries remaining the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5–29. Changing this reality requires proven road safety solutions. But it also requires investing in the people who will carry this work forward. To help make this happen, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety is joining the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), working alongside its partners to create new pathways for young people to build their road safety expertise, strengthen their leadership and contribute to making roads safer.
Through its 2026–2030 phase, BIGRS will support road safety action across cities, states and countries in low- and middle-income settings, addressing critical challenges including speed management, motorcycle safety, safer road design, enforcement and stronger road safety data. Through its collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the extended BIGRS partners, YOURS will make a specific contribution to this global effort: upskilling and empowering the next generation of young leaders with the knowledge, expertise, and opportunities they need to play a meaningful role in road safety.
The ultimate goal of YOURS involvement is to support strengthening the connection between young people and the wider road safety ecosystem. The ambition goes beyond participation. It is about building a stronger pipeline of young people who understand the evidence behind effective road safety interventions, can bring the realities of their communities into road safety conversations, and have opportunities to turn their knowledge into action. They are the decision-makers, investors, and planners of tomorrow.
For over 16 years, YOURS has built strong expertise in youth advocacy, capacity development and meaningful youth engagement in road safety. Through its training programmes, global advocacy initiatives and youth-led projects, YOURS has supported young people in developing the knowledge, skills and opportunities to advocate for safer roads and drive change in their communities. This experience has positioned YOURS as a recognised voice in youth road safety, bringing a proven approach to youth leadership and participation into the wider BIGRS ecosystem.
Through the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, YOURS’ collaboration with BIGRS will connect young people more closely with the following areas of action:
- Support building the next generation of road safety champions through an immersive training programme, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP). The course will equip participants with the leadership, advocacy, and systems-thinking skills needed to challenge the status quo and help drive lasting change.
- Youth-led local action programmes, enabling youth to transform their ideas, knowledge and solutions into tangible evidence-based projects.
- In-country youth mobilisation efforts to support Vital Strategies’ awareness campaigns and grow the critical mass of youth engaged in safer road behaviours and practices.
- Continue expanding the global youth movement on road safety by engaging a community of practice with access to resources, capacity development, and advocacy opportunities.
Vital Strategies works across BIGRS to support governments and partners in turning road safety evidence into action. Through this collaboration, YOURS will help create stronger connections between this global expertise and young people, opening opportunities for youth perspectives and leadership to contribute to road safety efforts in different contexts.
At the same time, YOURS is working with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) and Johns Hopkins University on another important part of the BIGRS leadership pipeline: strengthening the technical road safety knowledge of young professionals. With funding from BIGRS, GRSP and Johns Hopkins University already deliver a best-in-class suite of global road safety leadership courses.
As part of a new phase beginning in 2026, this work is expanding with a new course specifically designed for young professionals from low- and middle-income countries. YOURS is contributing its expertise in youth engagement and learning to help shape and co-deliver the programme. By bringing together GRSP and Johns Hopkins University’s technical road safety expertise with YOURS’ experience working with young people, this collaboration can help equip a new generation with the foundations to contribute to road safety today and become part of its future leadership. Taken together, these collaborations represent something bigger than individual programmes.
They create distinct yet connected pathways for young people within BIGRS: opportunities to learn from global road safety expertise, connect with a broader road safety community, bring their perspectives to the conversation, and translate their knowledge into action in their own contexts. For YOURS, this is the real opportunity of contributing to the BIGRS ecosystem.
Youth participation should not sit alongside road safety as a separate agenda. Young people have the knowledge, skills and opportunities to become part of road safety itself — contributing today while building the experience to become the practitioners, advocates and decision-makers who will carry this work forward. As this new phase begins, YOURS will work across the BIGRS ecosystem to connect global road safety expertise with a generation ready to learn, contribute and lead. Because young people should not only inherit safer roads. They should have a meaningful role in creating them.
