Heads of National Road Safety Agencies from around 80 countries came together for the first time in June for a global road safety summit to tackle the scourge of road crash deaths and injuries.
Road crashes kill more than 1.3 million people worldwide, with 9 in 10 of these preventable deaths occurring in low-and middle-income countries. Road crashes are the leading cause of death in children and youth aged 5-29.
Held following the Vision Zero Conference on Road Safety hosted by the Swedish government, the meeting from June 28-29 aimed to help countries share knowledge and experience around the role of national road safety agencies in strategic planning, setting roles and responsibilities, coordinating across sectors, financing and monitoring and evaluating their national road safety plans. A set of recommendations and next steps were produced.
The Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 offers a blueprint for policy makers to create national and local road safety plans. It calls for a new vision for mobility that puts safety first, adopts a wholistic and systems-focused approach, and ensures that all stakeholders meet their responsibilities.
World Health Organisation (June 27, 2023)
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