Road safety: a silent killer

On the sidelines of the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) Advisory Board meeting, the EU delegation organised an event to raise awareness about road safety, which kills 1.19 million people worldwide every year.

Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability. Each year, up to 50 million people suffer life-altering injuries. This is particularly true for people aged 5 to 29, who are at higher risk of road traffic injuries. Globally, one in four deaths occur among pedestrians and cyclists.

EU Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Chair of the UNRSF Advisory Board, hosted the event on 27 June 2024 alongside the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt.

Road safety is a daily tragedy that does not make the headlines, even though it is the leading cause of death. In some countries, it is responsible for more deaths than small arms and in others, more diseases. With the EU accounting for only 2% of global casualties, road safety in low- and middle-income countries is a bigger challenge. The EU stands ready to help with its expertise and resources. – Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva

The Fund has played a vital role in recent years, mobilising over $30 million from governments and private donors and supporting 44 projects in 88 countries over the past five years. The EU and many of its Member States have contributed to the Fund. Further contributions are needed to effectively support all countries in need and replenish the Fund for the next five years. An important milestone in this regard will be the Ministerial Conference hosted by Morocco in February 2025 in Marrakech.

The event highlighted two global initiatives of the Office of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Road Safety:

1. The UN Global Road Safety Campaign, in partnership with JCDecaux, runs under the slogan “Make a Safety Statement” and is expected to be rolled out in 80 countries and 1,000 cities over the next two years (2023-2025). The campaign aims to raise awareness of preventive measures for safe and sustainable mobility, with the support of high-profile celebrities including supermodel Naomi Campbell, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, actress Julie Gayet, F1 driver Charles Leclerc and Oscar-winning actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh.
2. The Safe and Affordable Helmet Initiative aims to distribute helmets that meet UN standards, are comfortable in hot and humid climates, and are priced below $20. It is worth noting that the average selling price of a motorcycle in developing countries is around $1,500 (ranging from $300 to $5,000). Between 2008 and 2020, 3.4 million deaths occurred in motorcycle accidents; an estimated 1.4 million lives could have been saved with proper helmets.

Road crashes are a silent pandemic on wheels for which we have the cure. Awareness is part of the vaccine to promote life-saving behaviors on the road, such as wearing a seat belt, not driving under the influence of alcohol, reducing speed, not texting while driving, not driving when tired and wearing a helmet in response to UN regulations. The two global initiatives presented have a clear objective: to contribute to the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve the number of road fatalities by 2030. – Jean Todt, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Road Safety.

Ambassador Knudsen also highlighted the essential role of UNECE, which manages a series of key transport and environmental conventions open to countries outside the UNECE region. In total, 152 countries are already signatories to at least one of the UNECE-managed transport conventions, which cover many important aspects of road safety.

At the event, Cameroon, Morocco and Sierra Leone also shared their national experiences on initiatives and remaining challenges to make their countries’ roads safer.

Background

In the European Union, we have made great progress, going from over 50,000 victims in 2000 to around 20,000 in recent years. However, we should not rest on our laurels and the EU has defined its Vision Zero as the goal of zero victims by 2050. New policy measures have been proposed and new risks have been identified, arising from the adoption of alternative electric mobility.

The WHO World Road Safety Report 2023 shows that the annual number of road traffic deaths globally has decreased slightly, to 1.19 million. The report shows that efforts to improve road safety are working and that road traffic deaths can be significantly reduced if proven measures are implemented. Despite this, the price paid for mobility remains too high. Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5–29 years. More than half of all deaths occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries. Urgent action is needed if the global target of at least halving road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 is to be met.

UNECE is the depository of the United Nations legal instruments relating to road safety applicable worldwide. It houses the secretariat of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Road Safety, Mr. Jean Todt, as well as the United Nations Road Safety Fund.