UNITED NATIONS, Jul 01 (APP): Road traffic accidents claim nearly 1.3 million lives each year, cost some countries up to 3 per cent of their annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and are the biggest killer of five to 29-year olds globally, the UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid has said.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s meeting\u2026is a key opportunity and platform for us to make the changes needed: To strengthen political will, scale up investment, and draw on lessons learned,\u201d he told a High-level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety on Thursday.<\/p>\n
It also acted to accelerate action on the Global Plan for the Decade of Action on Road Safety, which kicked off last year, the UNGA chief added.<\/p>\n
After observing a moment of silence for those killed or seriously injured on roads around the world, Shahid said,”Daunting and disturbing statistics on road safety can\u2026[and] must change,\u201d describing the meeting as \u201cone step\u201d towards that end.<\/p>\n
He said he had five key messages on the issue, first, that \u201cno deaths on our streets are acceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoad safety falls under the umbrella of the universal right to health,\u201d for which \u201csafety is paramount\u201d.<\/p>\n
Secondly the Assembly President said the Global Plan was \u201ckey to reducing deaths and boosting development.” Safe systems must be \u201cfront and centre\u201d in organizing, designing and building good road systems.<\/p>\n
He said the High-Level Meeting itself on road safety, had the potential to \u201cmark a critical juncture\u201d in reducing deaths, and added that it was crucial for governments to implement the Global Plan\u2019s recommendations, including by setting national and sub-national reduction targets; outlining detailed plans for action; and ensuring sustainable financing.<\/p>\n
Stressing the significance of transformative leadership, his fourth point was to stress that road safety should be made a political priority \u201cat the highest levels of government\u201d.<\/p>\n
Finally, he said, \u201ceveryone has a role to play\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom urban planners, to engineers, and academia, to civil society,\u201d each person must accept their responsibilities. And mechanisms should be put in place to support them, such as in designing and maintaining roads, manufacturing vehicles, and administering safety programmes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe time for action from governments, societies and communities is now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe mobility systems offer the promise of a safer, healthier and better future for everyone, everywhere. Let us seize this opportunity,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
On his part, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres reminded that road fatalities were closely linked to poor infrastructure, unplanned urbanization, lax healthcare systems, and persistent inequalities both within and between countries. <\/p>\n
At the same time, unsafe roads were a key obstacle to development, he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cTraffic accidents can push entire families into poverty through either the loss of a breadwinner or the costs associated with lost income and prolonged medical care,\u201d he said. \u201cSafer roads promote sustainable development.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN chief underscored the goals of a political declaration adopted at the meeting, namely to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 and promote sustainable mobility \u201cwith safety at its core\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more ambitious and urgent action to reduce the biggest risks \u2013 such as speeding; driving under the influence of alcohol or any psychoactive substance or drug; failure to use seat-belts, helmets and child restraints; unsafe road infrastructure and unsafe vehicles: poor pedestrian safety, and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Guterres emphasized the need for increased financing for \u201csustainable and safe infrastructure\u201d and investments in cleaner mobility and greener urban planning, \u201cespecially in low and middle-income countries\u201d. <\/p>\n
From education, health, and transport to climate mitigation, land-use planning, and disaster response, road safety must be integrated in national policies, he added. <\/p>\n
The UN chief encouraged all member states to accede to UN road safety conventions and implement \u201cwhole-of-society action plans,\u201d with a \u201cstrong prevention approach\u201d. <\/p>\n
He also urged donors to scale up much-needed financial and technical contributions through the UN Road Safety Fund. <\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, we can save lives, support development, and steer our world to safer roads ahead, leaving no one behind,\u201d said the UN chief.<\/p>\n
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), reminded that road safety affects everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe step from our homes every day onto roads that take us to our jobs, schools and to meet our vital daily needs. Yet our transport systems remain far too dangerous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future of mobility should promote health and well-being, protect the environment and benefit all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Worldwide, road crashes currently kill more than two people every minute. And since the advent of the automobile, more than 50 million fatalities have occurred on the world\u2019s roads \u2013 exceeding the number of deaths in the First World War or in some of the worst global epidemics, according to WHO.<\/p>\n
In welcoming the newly adopted political declaration, the UN health agency chief recapped that it would require \u201ctransformative leadership from the highest levels of government\u201d to turn its vision into reality.<\/p>\n
“Putting safety at the heart of our mobility systems is an urgent health, economic and moral imperative,\u201d Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department for Social Determinants of Health, said. “Let\u2019s work together to scale up what works, save lives and build streets for life\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 01 (APP): Road traffic accidents claim nearly 1.3 million lives each year, cost some countries up to 3 per cent of their annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and are the biggest killer of five to 29-year olds globally, the UN General Assembly […]<\/p>\n
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