The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week will draw 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.
Ahead of the event, which takes place between 15-21 May 2023, WHO is calling on local authorities, schools and businesses to organise activities which ‘showcase how we can collectively rethink mobility’.
These include free public transport days, pop up bicycle lanes, walkability/cyclability studies, travel diaries and walk to school days.
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.”
WHO is also encouraging stakeholders to share messages and materials on social media with the hashtags: #RethinkMobility, #StreetsforLife and #RoadSafety.
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