Road Safety in the world
Road safety: a Red Cross/Red Crescent concern
When looking at the large number of deaths, injuries and economic
costs that have resulted from road crashes in recent years,
Road Safety has become an issue of global concern.
In
1998, the World Disaster Report of the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was instrumental in
raising global awareness regarding the scale of the road safety
problem. It called road accidents "a worsening global
disaster destroying lives and livelihoods, hampering development
and leaving millions in greater vulnerability."
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have key competencies
in the following main areas:
-
National Societies provide a forum for helping to prevent
road crashes through cooperation with governments, the private
sector and communities
-
National
Societies ensure assistance to victims through First Aid
posts, information and training, ambulance services, psychological
support and social assistance programmes
-
National
Societies contribute to the efforts made to improve the
road safety environment through road safety awareness campaigns
for decision-makers, drivers and for the population at large
The
Red Cross/Red Crescent, thanks to its unique position, can
act as a federative platform, bringing together the players
in the road safety field.
Red
Cross/Red Crescent Road Safety Action and Advocacy
Red
Cross/Red Crescent volunteers and staff are making a valuable
contribution to road safety improvement. Their efforts consist
in:
-
increasing
public awareness, for example through pan-European road
safety campaigns and the World First Aid Day. This year
it will take place on 8 September 2007.
-
advocating
towards authorities to make First Aid training in driving
licence requirements compulsory, as is already the case
in Austria, Bulgaria and Germany.
-
developing
partnerships, for example with the private sector
The
Global Road Safety Partnership
On
account of its ongoing role in this field, the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was invited
to be a founding member of the 
Global
Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), which brings together
stakeholders from civil society, government and the business
community to pro-actively tackle the problems of road accidents
in developing and transition countries. This programme was initiated
by the World Bank and its secretariat is hosted at the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Click here to read the 2007 Practical
guide on road safety by the GRSP
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies.
Road
Safety in Europe
Road
traffic accidents in the Member States of the EU annually
claim about 43,000 lives and leave more than 1.8 million people
injured, representing estimated costs of 160 billion Euro
(Core Database, April 2007).
Further reading
Road
Safety Perfomance Index (European
Transport Safety Council)
The Road Safety Performance Index is a new policy instrument
to help EU Member States in improving road safety. The latest
figures on Member States' performance are available in the
October
2007 Report (PDF).
Annual
Statistical Report 2006 (European Commission)
Child
Safety Report Cards
The
Child Safety Report Cards, launched by the European Child
Safety Alliance, EuroSafe, summarise a country’s performance
to July 2006 with respect to the level of safety provided
to children and adolescents through national level policy.
International
Progress in Road Safety (WHO November 2007) (PDF)
Ten
facts about road safety (WHO)
