Road Safety Is No Accident - the slogan of the 2007 United Nations Road Safety Week - well describes the problem of road safety. Approximately 1.2m people die annually on the roads; up to 50m are injured. Road accident injuries are the first cause of death worldwide for the 1 5-19 years age group. Aside from the human tragedy, this has a big economic impact. We know that certain statistics especially on road injuries - should be treated with caution. But the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the annual cost at $518 billion, globally. These figures call for urgent action. Each year 1 .2 million people are killed in road traffic accidents around the world. Another 50 million people are injured, many suffering life-long disability. Over 85% of road deaths occur in developing countries. The WHO warns that if these trends continue, the number of road accident casualties will increase by 67% from 2000 to 2020, including a jump of 83% in developing countries, making road traffic accidents the third largest cause of injury and sixth largest cause of death. Following the global recognition of this true world " epidemic" caused by road accidents and the creation, in 2004, of the UN Road Safety Collaboration, governments have responded by conducting road safety campaigns targeted mainly at improving user behaviour. Progress in vehicle safety has contributed significantly to reducing road deaths and injuries and will continue to do so as requirements become more stringent. But in order to be effective, any comprehensive road safety programme needs to include an infrastructure component. The IRF is the only world forum advocating better and safer roads through better road design. Given its members' rich expertise in road safety engineering measures, IRF is in an ideal position to initiate road safety projects aimed at improved road infrastructure. IRF Geneva members endorse both lobbying and societal initiatives and support actions aimed at improving the image of the industry in the short term and benefiting road safety in the long run. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting