Global consensus achieved for road safety
Halving the number of people killed on the world's roads over the next decade is the central target agreed by the international community at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in Sweden on 18-19 February. Known as the "Stockholm Declaration", this seminal commitment to address the 1.3 million lives lost every year on the world's roads, and the tens of millions who are seriously injured, was agreed by some 1 700 delegates from around 140 countries. Given the Declaration's scope and extensive uptake, it is being compared to the road safety crisis' equivalent of the 2016 Paris Agreement tackling the global climate emergency.
A specific focus on speed management - a maximum 30 km/h enforced limit where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix - and connecting road safety to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to proliferate road safety best practice worldwide. It builds on the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety 2011-2020, promoting the safe system and Vision Zero approach to road safety. Get the Declaration
Nine forward-looking proposals underpin the Declaration. These measures, delving into ways to further future-proof road safety, are recommendations from the Academic Expert Group. Modal shift, as well as sustainable practices and reporting form part of the approach. See the Academic Expert Group recommendations
ITF Secretary-General Young Tae Kim explored methods to engage a greater number of sectors of society in the fight against road deaths during his introduction to the plenary Conference session on "Enhancing International Collaboration for Road Safety" in Stockholm. Mr Kim led a strong ITF presence at the Conference over several very well-attended, highly-visible events.
A new Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO) will be established. Announced at a high-level event co-organised by ITF, the APRSO will support countries of the region in boosting their capacity to collect, analyse, and share reliable road crash data. The objective is to drastically reduce the number of road deaths and crash injuries in the region. Read the media release
15 infrastructure recommendations to achieve the UN targets by 2030 followed from an Innovation Workshop, organised by iRAP, the World Bank, FIA Foundation and ITF. The proposals, which include fixing the levels of infrastructure investment needed to ensure that roads meet the global standard for 3-star or better performance, fed into the Stockholm Declaration. Read the media release
10 new recommendations for safe micromobility aim to ensure that e-scooter and other micro-vehicle riders and pedestrians will not become crash victims. The unique ITF Corporate Partnership Board report on "Safe Micromobility" aimed at policy makers, city planners, operators and manufacturers launched to significant international media echo. Get the report
Michelin CEO, Florent Menegaux, delivered an inspiring speech on the role of the private sector in improving road safety at an event organised by ITF, the Volvo Car Group, Volvo Group and members of ITF’s Corporate Partnership Board (CPB). See more on CPB