Ahead of General Assembly, Annan urges commitment to road safety

In a report issued ahead of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommends that the UN's chief legislative body call on Member States to stimulate a new level of commitment in tackling the problem of road traffic injuries, projected to rank third among causes of death and disability by 2020.

"Improving road safety requires strong political will on the part of Governments," Mr. Annan says, recommending that countries be encouraged to develop and implement a national strategy on road traffic injury prevention and appropriate action plans.

An estimated 1.26 million people worldwide died as a result of road traffic injuries in 2000 alone, representing 25 per cent of all deaths due to injury, Mr. Annan says in the report released today. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) also estimates that by 2020, road traffic injuries could rank third among the cause of death, ahead of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

Mr. Annan notes that despite this widespread impact of traffic accidents, funding for research into the problem has been limited. "A lack of research means that the magnitude of the problem, its impacts and the cost and effectiveness of intervention are not fully understood, particularly in low- and middle-income countries," he says.

Road crashes can indeed be prevented, but the historical approach that places responsibility on the road user is inadequate, the Secretary-General states, advocating an approach that recognizes not only the fallibility of road users but also the infrastructure.

"In a systems approach, not only the driver, but also the environment (infrastructure) and the vehicle are seen as part of the system in which road traffic injuries occur," Mr. Annan says, adding that Member States should also "aim to ensure that sufficient resources are available, commensurate with the size of the road safety problem in their country."

The Secretary-General also recommends a General Assembly call for efforts by the UN system to address the global road safety crisis. "Most United Nations agencies could integrate road safety into other policies, such as those related to sustainable development, the environment, gender, children or the elderly," he notes.