Addressing the pandemic on our roads

Abstract

Reviewing the progress made in UN's Decade of Action on Road Safety 2011-20, it is clear that much remains to be done. The problem of road safety is reaching pandemic proportions; there are 1.3 million traffic related deaths annually, 50 million are disabled because of injuries from road traffic accidents every year, people road accidents are the 8th leading cause of non-natural death, road accidents are the leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds, 60% of all traffic deaths are among 15-44 year olds, traffic accidents result in a loss equal to 1-2% of national GNP. As road infrastructure expands and becomes better in many parts of the world, and motorisation rates increase, the need to act to address this pandemic on our roads is becoming ever more urgent. In this presentation I will outline a strategy for countries to address the pandemic of death and injury from road accidents. This strategy is based on: • The UN's five pillars – Road safety management, safer roads and mobility, vehicles, road users, and post-crash response, • The safe system approach, • Building political commitment and stakeholder support for improving safety, • Performance management, • Evidence, and • Providing value for money