The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week gets underway today, drawing attention to the ‘desperate need’ for governments and their partners to rethink – and redo – mobility.
Organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the event aims to highlight ‘concrete and specific actions’ that can be taken by different stakeholders to promote and facilitate a shift to green and sustainable modes of transport.
This includes increasing investment in walking, cycling and public transport.
The event takes place between 15-21 May – and carries a number of key messages:
- There is a desperate need for governments and their partners to rethink mobility
- Safety must be at the core of efforts to reimagine how we move in the world
- To ensure safety, road networks must be designed with the most at risk in mind
- When safe, walking and cycling can contribute to making people healthy, cities sustainable, and societies equitable
- Safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable public transport is a solution for many of societies’ ills
WHO is encouraging stakeholders to share these messages, as well as campaign materials, on social media with the hashtags: #RethinkMobility, #StreetsforLife and #RoadSafety.
The materials are available via the WHO website.
WHO said: “Safety must be at the core of efforts to reimagine how we move in the world.
“Worldwide, the number of road traffic deaths remains around 1.3 million per year with as many as 50 million people injured. Road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years.
“A prerequisite to rethinking mobility is to ensure that roads are safe for all who use them, especially those most at risk: children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport.”
The event is being supported by Road Safety GB.
James Gibson, executive director of Road Safety GB, said: “Global Road Safety Week highlights the shocking impact of traffic collisions across the world.
“The UK is recognised around the globe as having particular expertise with regard to road safety. We have one of the world’s best road safety records but there is still more to do here in the UK and of course more we can share with others as we work towards safe mobility for everyone.”
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