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UN Decade of Action for

Road Safety 2011-2020

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In 2011 the United Nations will launch a Decade of Actionfor Road Safety with the aim of stabilising and then reduc-ing global road deaths by 2020. Major economies of the G20,leading developing countries and public institutions like theWorld Bank and the World Health Organization have all en-dorsed the Decade of Action.

This Decade of Action was rst proposed by the Make RoadsSafe campaign. More than a million people have supported

our call for UN action. Now, with political will and increasedresources millions of lives could be saved. Our campaign willwork to hold governments and institutions to their commit-ments, to ensure that the Decade is Action.

Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen

Chairman, Make Roads Safe campaign

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The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the pe-riod 2011-2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, witha goal to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of roadtrac fatalities around the world by increasing activities con-

ducted at the national, regional and global levels.

100 governments co-spon-sored the UN resolutionestablishing the Decade ofAction, committing to workto achieve this ambitiousobjective through an ActionPlan with targets for raisinghelmet and seat belt use,promoting safer road infrastructure and protecting vulner-able road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Now we need your help to keep up the pressure, to ensurethat the promises are followed by real action to make roadssafer.

Decade of Action for

Road Safety 2011-2020

By making road safety a priority over the next decade wehave the potential to save millions of lives, and to preventmany millions of injuries and disabilities.Make Roads Safe Global Ambassador, Michelle Yeoh,addressing the UN General Assembly, New York, March 2010 ENSURING THE DECADE ISACTION

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Ten reasons to act on road deaths:

1. 1.3 million people are killed on the worlds roads each year:

2. Road crashes kill more people than Malaria

3. 50 million people are injured, many disabled as a result.

4. 90% of these casualties occur in developing countries

5. Annual deaths are forecast to rise to 1.9 million by 2020

6. It is the No.1 cause of death for young people worldwide

7. By 2015 it will be the leading health burden for childrenover the age of ve in developing countries

8. The economic cost to developing countries is at least $100billion a year

9. Injuries place immense burdens on hospitals and healthsystems

10. Road crashes are preventable

10 reasons +

10 years = Decade of Action

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Every year, around 80,000 children aged 5-14 in developingcountries lose their right to education for a single tragicreason: they are killed on the worlds roads, often makingthe journey to school.Dr Kevin Watkins, UN development adviser

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states thatchildren have the right to a safe environment and protectionfrom injury. Yet, every day, hundreds of children are killed orseriously injured - by adults - on the worlds roads.

Now the leading global cause of death for young people,

road crashes kill 260,000 children under the age of 18 eachyear. Governments must do much more to meet their legalobligation to protect the rights of children to travel safely onthe road.

The Rights of Children

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I have seen how important it is that children andcommunities are educated about road safety and thatgovernments and decision makers do what they can tomake roads safe.Ewan McGregor, UNICEF Ambassador

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Leading road safety experts believe that, with the right ac-tion, up to 5 million lives could be saved and 50 million in- juries prevented during the Decade of Action. This wouldrepresent a reduction of about 50% on the predicted globaldeath toll by 2020.

Yet these lives can only be saved if the international commu-nity and national governments translate their rhetoric intomeasurable action.

On the next page we set out the agenda for action.

Taking Action

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2000000

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1000000900000

1900000

500000

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

GlobalRTIDeaths

50% Fatality

Reduction Target

5 Million Fatalities50 Million Serious Injuries

Do nothingDecade of Action

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Travel-related injuries and deaths aect millions of peoplearound the world. Im hopeful that action can be taken toensure that no one dies before their timeBill Clinton, Former US President

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Deliver vaccines for road safety

The knowledge and the vac-cines exist to tackle this epi-demic and quickly begin toreduce casualties: using mo-

torcycle helmets and seatbelts; government action totackle drink driving, speed-ing and to improve drivertraining and licensing. The governments that have signed upto the 2009 Moscow Declaration on Road Safety and the UNresolution for a Decade of Action have a moral obligation todeliver these vaccines to their people.

Design safer roads

Unsafe roads are still being built with international aid mon-ey. This must stop. Safe infrastructure design can save thou-sands of lives. The World Bank, regional development banksand leading donors have now committed to make road safetya priority in their multi-billion dollar lending portfolios. TheMake Roads Safe campaign will keep up the pressure to en-sure these words are followed by action.

Build safer vehicles

Vehicle manufacturers have a responsibility to produce safecars. They must meet this obligation, in every market. All carsshould be engineered for safety, and basic safety measureslike air bags should no longer be considered optional extras.

Motorcycle manufacturers must do more to proactively en-courage helmet use.

Mobilise international support

By investing $30 million ayear in catalytic action, lead-ing donor countries andmajor public health philan-thropies could transformthe way road safety is under-stood and managed acrossthe developing world. Morecan and must be done to support and enable countries totackle their road safety problems, starting with better dataon road injuries and building home-grown expertise in roadinjury prevention.

Translating words into action

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The Make Roads Safe campaign was launched in 2006 bythe Commission for Global Road Safety, led by former NATOSecretary General Lord Robertson. The campaign is managedand nanced by the FIA Foundation, an independent charity.

Since 2006, working in part-nership with NGOs, publichealth organisations, mo-toring clubs and more thana million people around theworld, the Make Roads Safecampaign has pushed roadsafety up the policy agenda:

Proposing and securing the rst ever UN-backed GlobalMinisterial Conference on road safety

Persuading the worlds leading development banks totake joint action to prioritise road safety

Proposing and leading the campaign for a Decade of Ac-tion for Road Safety

To nd out how you can support the Make Roads Safe cam-paign during the Decade of Action, visit our website atwww.makeroadssafe.org

Support the

Make Roads Safe campaign

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Help us to ensure that the Decade isAction.

Visit www.makeroadssafe.org to see how you can add your

voice to the campaign for global road safety.

It is time for those who can

make a real dierence the

governments, internationalnancial institutions,

the donor community,

development activists andthe millions who are angry

but silent to step up to

meet this challenge and tocommit to the Decade of

Action for Road Safety

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2011-2020 is the UN Decade

of Action for Road Safety