United Nations’ General Assembly approves first ever conference on road safety
Posted on April 18, 2008 by Mike Dreznes | 2 comments
On Monday, March 31, 2008, the United Nations heard the alarming statistics that many in the road industry already know too well: more than 1.2 million die on the world's road each year; more than 50 million are injured; and, road accidents are the leading cause of death among people aged 10-24. And now, the UN has decided to finally do something.
It was approved at the UN General Assembly that a road safety conference will be held in 2009 in Russia. The goal of the meeting is purportedly to gather together high-ranking ministers of transport and health from most of the U.N.'s member states who will discuss road safety issues and should hopefully spur real change.
The IRF applauds and fully supports the UN resolution and the upcoming conference. It is much needed and long over due. As government officials and policy makers come together to combat this epidemic, IRF encourages all to remember that road safety isn't just about driver bahvior - wearing seat belts, driving slower, not driving intoxicated.
Road safety needs a three-pronged approach - the driver, the vechicle and the road.
Although a sweeping change in driver behavior would do much to curb the current carnage on the road, it is not an all inclusive solution. Vehicles need to be safer and the roads certainly should plan for accidents. For no matter how safe a driver or secure the vehicle, humans will always make mistakes and vehicles can malfunction. And the road should be designed, built, and equipped in order to forgive that mistake, and mediate vehicle failure.
An all-inclusive approach to road safety should include the transfer of technology and the proper training to implement such technologies, including such topics as, but not limited to:
- Roadside Safety & Median Application
- Proper Vertical & Horizontal Signage – Delineation and Illumination* Work Zone Safety
- Intersection and Roundabout Safety
- Low Cost Safety Improvements
- Pedestrian Safety
- Safety Technology Concepts
- Traffic Calming
- Enforcement
- Safety Audits
- Collection and Use of Statistics
What other problem areas can we improve in order to build better, safer roads?
Comments
Johan Jonck on May 05 2008 - 12:04 AM
All the technology available should be used to create more awareness and assist in educational efforts. On behalf of the Arrive Alive Website of South Africa I would like to compliment the decision for a greater road safety effort worldwide - only through a global collaboration will the death toll on roads be decreased!
Rob Robinson on May 07 2008 - 09:42 PM
Congratulations Mike & IRF on your support for the latest UN Resolution on Road Safety and the commitment to the 2009 Conference.
As a retired career law enforcement officer I applaud the balanced approach to road safety that you advocate. Fair enforcement can deliver some quick wins in safety where there has previously been a low activity base. Equally enforcement can reinforce good road user behaviours and sanction poor behaviours. But, it is only part of the solution.
Road transport is the only transport mode where we have not adopted the approach of insisting that safety be designed into the system. It is better to design safety into the road system than inspect it in through enforcement. Neither approach will ever dominate in my view but must co-exist with a healthy dose of education for ALL road users.
That is the soft technologies of enforcement and education must be combined with the hard technologies of engineering (vehicles and roads) for us to get on top of the pandemic of death on the world’s roads.