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A first of its kind Global Network of Heads of National Road Safety Agencies has convened to push forward actions to reduce the global scourge of road traffic deaths and injuries.
Representatives from 55 countries joined the event hosted by the World Health Organization [WHO] in December 2022 that laid the foundations for collaboration to meet the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 target of halving road traffic deaths by end of the decade.
‘Mobility is at a critical juncture,’ said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhnanom Ghebreyesus. Around 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads every year and as many as 50 million people are injured. If we want change, we have to think and act differently. This means making smarter public investments and policy choices, including investing in walking, cycling and public transport, as these modes of transport can lead to better health for millions of people and the planet.’
Mr Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, highlighted the crucial role that Heads of National Road Safety Agencies play in boosting cooperation around the world. ‘The scourge of road traffic deaths rages on, with more than 3,500 fatalities each day. The only way we can halve these deaths by 2030, as well as the tens of millions of serious injuries, is to work together, to organize together, and to fight together in a structured and steady manner.’
‘The action happens at the national and local levels, said Dr Etienne Krug, Director for the Department of Social Determinants of Health at WHO. ‘So we want to help you to learn about successes from each other to make sure you have the best information at your fingertips.’
In a panel discussion, participants shared experiences of how important lead road safety agencies are to ensuring the integrated and coordinated approach that yields the best results. Road safety was seen as an enabler for efforts to achieve many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which further justifies the need for an integrated approach.
‘It is crucial that there is a coordinating agency for road safety in every country, as road safety is not, and can never be, a one-man show,’ said Mr Roberto Maiorana, Director-General of Sweden’s National Transport Administration. ‘Lead agencies must have the political support they need to set challenging targets and to work systematically towards meeting them.’
The first in-person meeting of the Global Network will be held in Stockholm, Sweden on 28-29 June 2023. The event will be held in conjunction with the Vision Zero Conference organized by the Swedish Transport Administration.
The WHO-led secretariat was tasked with developing an operational framework for the new network. Moving forward, regional and sub-regional meetings and collaboration will be important to allow countries with similar challenges to learn and develop strategies together.
‘We aim to be in touch regularly to make sure we move together at all levels, to ensure every country has a plan to meet its targets, and that all countries are looking at legislation, data collection, the safety of their roads and vehicles, trauma care and other crucial areas,’ said WHO’s Dr Etienne Krug.
