A 10-year plan to reduce road-traffic accidents

Abstract

In 2004, the UN General Assembly discussed the global burden of road-traffic accidents for the first time, mainly thanks to an effort by Oman to raise the profile of the problem within the UN. Still, few member states, especially low-income and middle-income nations where most deaths on the roads occur, were interested in the issue. Now, 6 years on, the story is very different. Last week, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to make 2011–20 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. 98 countries, including Russia, France, and Brazil, co-sponsored the resolution.Nearly 1·3 million people are killed in road-traffic accidents every year and 20–50 million more sustain non-fatal injuries that are a major cause of disability worldwide. The Decade of Action aims to increase political attention to this huge public health burden. During the decade, countries will be encouraged to develop and implement road-safety plans consisting of five pillars: road-safety management; road infrastructure and design; vehicle safety design; road users' behaviour; and post-crash care. Early in 2011, nations will have a chance to announce their plans for the decade. The success of these national initiatives and the Decade of Action will be evaluated at the midway point and end date. The overall goal will be to halt or reverse the increasing trend in road-traffic accidents and fatalities globally by 2020.Funding for the Decade of Action will be a major obstacle. The price tag for national activities has been estimated at US$2 billion. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent donation of $125 million to global road safety will aid the effort, but the decade will need a lot more than individual philanthropic gestures to achieve its goals.Encouraging different government sectors to work together on road safety might also be a challenge. The health sector must play its part, especially in data collection, promotion of behavioural change, and improvement of trauma care. We should all welcome this Decade of Action as an opportunity to address a major cause of death and disability worldwide. In 2004, the UN General Assembly discussed the global burden of road-traffic accidents for the first time, mainly thanks to an effort by Oman to raise the profile of the problem within the UN. Still, few member states, especially low-income and middle-income nations where most deaths on the roads occur, were interested in the issue. Now, 6 years on, the story is very different. Last week, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to make 2011–20 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. 98 countries, including Russia, France, and Brazil, co-sponsored the resolution. Nearly 1·3 million people are killed in road-traffic accidents every year and 20–50 million more sustain non-fatal injuries that are a major cause of disability worldwide. The Decade of Action aims to increase political attention to this huge public health burden. During the decade, countries will be encouraged to develop and implement road-safety plans consisting of five pillars: road-safety management; road infrastructure and design; vehicle safety design; road users' behaviour; and post-crash care. Early in 2011, nations will have a chance to announce their plans for the decade. The success of these national initiatives and the Decade of Action will be evaluated at the midway point and end date. The overall goal will be to halt or reverse the increasing trend in road-traffic accidents and fatalities globally by 2020. Funding for the Decade of Action will be a major obstacle. The price tag for national activities has been estimated at US$2 billion. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent donation of $125 million to global road safety will aid the effort, but the decade will need a lot more than individual philanthropic gestures to achieve its goals. Encouraging different government sectors to work together on road safety might also be a challenge. The health sector must play its part, especially in data collection, promotion of behavioural change, and improvement of trauma care. We should all welcome this Decade of Action as an opportunity to address a major cause of death and disability worldwide.