Road accidents are still responsible for 1.3 million annual deaths and 50 million injuries all over the world, but the United Nations has a Global Plan to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030.
This plan aims to inspire national and local government, as well other stakeholders who can influence road safety (including civil society, academia, the private sector, donors, community and youth leaders, and other stakeholders) as they develop national and local action plans and targets for the Decade of Action.
Vision for the plan
Mobility is integral to nearly every aspect of our daily lives. We step from our homes into a road system that leads us to work and school, to get our food, and to many of our daily family and social needs. The influence of the road transport system is so pervasive that its safety – or lack thereof – affects a wide range of basic human needs.
As such, ensuring the safety of roads and enabling sustainable mobility plays an important role in reducing poverty and inequities, increasing access to employment and education, as well as mitigating the impact of climate change.
In fact, the efficiency, accessibility and safety of transport systems directly and indirectly contribute to the realization of many SDGs. On its own, the road safety movement is limited in its potential reach and influence and is often subordinate to other social needs.
But if road safety is seen as a necessity that can facilitate progress in meeting social needs – ranging from gender equity to environmental sustainability – its potential can be greatly expanded.
The plan is a key part of the Decades of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and was discussed, on Friday, at an event supporting the High-Level Meeting on Global Road Safety at the General Assembly in New York.
Opening the discussion, President of General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, said that the world needs to address this “unnecessary and tragic burden on families, communities and economies.”
“Road accidents are entirely preventable, and our priority must be exactly that, to implement preventive measures”, he continued.
Necessary action
Shahid highlighted the importance of the Global Plan, but warned that “unless it is implemented, it is nothing more than a plan of action.”
Looking ahead, he said implementation by national and local governments will require two main elements: financing and the engagement of relevant actors. With a notable funding gap in most countries, 90% of road deaths happen in low and middle-income countries.
For Shahid, this means that achieving the targets will require increased support to these countries.
Road traffic crashes are also the leading killer of children and young people worldwide, aged five to 29.
As things stand, they are set to cause a further estimated 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries during the next decade.
During the event, member states heard from families who lost loved ones, politicians that led the way, grassroot youth working on advocacy programs, and both government and non-governmental organizations.
For the President of the General Assembly, “each is a story that will foster greater understanding and knowledge on how we can better engage on global road safety.”
Shahid invited member states, civil societies, and the international community to use these exchanges “as an opportunity to build collective commitments and strengthened partnerships. Global road safety is a shared responsibility that must be prioritised and integrated”, he argued.
For him, achieving safety would contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals under education, health, and the environment, among others. The high‑level meeting on the topic will be held in July next year, under the theme “The 2030 horizon for road safety: securing a decade of action and delivery”.
Before now, early last October, three UN Special Envoys leading a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Road Safety Initiative said countries and investors need to step up the development and use of AI to keep roads safe for everyone.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a call for action to halve the annual rate of road deaths globally and ensure access to safe, affordable and sustainable transport for everyone by 2030.
According to the newly launched initiative, faster progress on AI is vital to make this happen, especially in low and middle-income countries, where the most lives are lost on the roads each year.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 1.3 million people die annually as a result of road traffic crashes. Between 20 and 50 million more suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability.
AI can help in different ways, including better collection and analysis of crash data, enhancing road infrastructure, increasing the efficiency of post-crash response, and inspiring innovation in the regulatory frameworks.
This approach requires equitable access to data and the ethical use of algorithms, which many countries currently lack, leaving them unable to identify road safety solutions.
AI for Road Safety brings together Special Envoys for Road Safety, Technology and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Announcing the initiative, ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, said the disproportionate number of road deaths in developing countries “is yet another example of why the benefits of new technologies must reach everyone, everywhere”.
Road Safety Envoy, Jean Todt, said “there is an untapped opportunity to harness AI to close the digital and road safety divide around the world”.
Work ahead
As the first partially self-driving cars come on the market, the future of automated driving is back in the limelight. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic is shifting mobility trends and increasing a preference for personally-owned cars.
Back in March, though, Todt said that much work remains to meet the target to halve the number of road deaths and injuries by 2030.
“Connected vehicles are far from reaching the communities that are most affected by road traffic crashes. The infrastructure in many countries could not support autonomous driving anytime soon. The cost of the technology is still very high”, he stated.
The new initiative aims to strengthen global AI efforts across the public and private sectors to improve safety for all road users — whether traveling by automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, foot or other transportation modes.
For UN Envoy on Technology, Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, this initiative “is a noteworthy effort to focus on practical, real-world technology issues that concretely affect peoples’ lives”.
