United Nations: : Road traffic accidents claim nearly 1.3 million lives each year, cost some countries up to 3 per cent of their annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and are the biggest killer of five to 29-year olds globally, the UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid has said.
“Today’s meeting…is a key opportunity and platform for us to make the changes needed: To strengthen political will, scale up investment, and draw on lessons learned,” he told a High-level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety.
It also acted to accelerate action on the Global Plan for the Decade of Action on Road Safety, which kicked off last year, the UNGA chief added.
After observing a moment of silence for those killed or seriously injured on roads around the world, Shahid said,”Daunting and disturbing statistics on road safety can…[and] must change,” describing the meeting as “one step” towards that end.
He said he had five key messages on the issue, first, that “no deaths on our streets are acceptable”.
“Road safety falls under the umbrella of the universal right to health,” for which “safety is paramount”.
Secondly the Assembly President said the Global Plan was “key to reducing deaths and boosting development.” Safe systems must be “front and centre” in organizing, designing and building good road systems.
He said the High-Level Meeting itself on road safety, had the potential to “mark a critical juncture” in reducing deaths, and added that it was crucial for governments to implement the Global Plan’s recommendations, including by setting national and sub-national reduction targets; outlining detailed plans for action; and ensuring sustainable financing.
Stressing the significance of transformative leadership, his fourth point was to stress that road safety should be made a political priority “at the highest levels of government”.
Finally, he said, “everyone has a role to play”.
“From urban planners, to engineers, and academia, to civil society,” each person must accept their responsibilities. And mechanisms should be put in place to support them, such as in designing and maintaining roads, manufacturing vehicles, and administering safety programmes.
“The time for action from governments, societies and communities is now,” he said.
“Safe mobility systems offer the promise of a safer, healthier and better future for everyone, everywhere. Let us seize this opportunity,” he concluded.
On his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminded that road fatalities were closely linked to poor infrastructure, unplanned urbanization, lax healthcare systems, and persistent inequalities both within and between countries.
At the same time, unsafe roads were a key obstacle to development, he added.
“Traffic accidents can push entire families into poverty through either the loss of a breadwinner or the costs associated with lost income and prolonged medical care,” he said. “Safer roads promote sustainable development.”
The UN chief underscored the goals of a political declaration adopted at the meeting, namely to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 and promote sustainable mobility “with safety at its core”. APP
