UN Global Road Safety Week

The upcoming week of May marks the UN Global Road Safety Week, which aims to draw attention to the need to improve the safety of walking, cycling, and public transport as modes of transportation. The theme of this year's event is #RethinkMobility, which encourages a shift in thinking towards prioritizing safe, active transportation options.

When implemented safely, these active modes of transportation can have a positive impact on people's health, promote sustainable urban development, and contribute to greater equity within communities. By emphasizing the importance of safe and accessible walking, cycling, and public transport options, we all can help to create healthier and more livable cities for everyone.

Eighth Global Meeting

Eighth Global Meeting of Road Safety NGOs began in San Salvador, with 214 participants from 61 countries. Themed "Rethinking road safety: Mobility for people and planet," the event aims to reduce road deaths and injuries by 2030. NGOs will discuss accountability in road safety and keeping governments responsible for global commitments. Organized by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, co-hosted by El Salvador's Vice Ministry of Transportation and WHO, the San Salvador Declaration will be presented on 8 March, calling for evidence-based actions, transparent investment, and NGO involvement in decision-making. The Alliance's Accountability Toolkit will also be launched for NGOs to assess governments' implementation of priority interventions.

What it’s like to get hit by an SUV

One Thursday afternoon, I stepped out to cross a city street – and woke up in hospital with broken bones and a brain injury. After I recovered, I started looking into why so many drivers just don’t stop

by Tamara Dean and The Guardian

LATIN AMERICA TO UNIFY AND STRENGTHEN NGO ADVOCACY

51 members of Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) in 15 countries in Latin America launched a new regional chapter to unify and strengthen their advocacy and influence to save lives across the continent.

Last year, the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Global Plan) was published, setting out the action that governments need to take to achieve a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries by 2030. The Global Plan highlights the essential role of civil society in achieving this ambitious target. NGOs play a pivotal role in promoting, advocating, and achieving the adoption of proven measures toward the 2030 target.

KNPO did not participate in this great achievement but believed it is worth fighting for.

Together we can face any challenges

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

Last November NGOs for the Decade of Action for Road Safe to which we are proudly affiliated. Last November, the global road safety community commemorated World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Also the Streets for Life #Love30 campaign was a highlight this year and has demonstrated the impact and reach that NGOs have in their countries. We would also like to congratulate Lotte Brondum, CEO for her excellent guidance and global work.

The Alliance was founded in 2011 to mobilize and empower NGOs during the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020. We now have 288 members in 98 countries, working across advocacy, education, infrastructure, research, and victim support.

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030

The second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 was declared in the UN Resolution on Improving Global Road Safety in August 2020. A Global Plan has been developed and will be launched on 28 October 2021.

In September 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/299 "Improving global road safety", proclaiming the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. WHO and the UN regional commissions, in cooperation with other partners in the UN Road Safety Collaboration, have developed a Global Plan for the Decade of Action, to be released in October 2021.   

The Global Plan aligns with the Stockholm Declaration, by emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to road safety, and calling on continued improvements in the design of roads and vehicles; enhancement of laws and law enforcement; and provision of timely, life-saving emergency care for the injured. The Global Plan also reflects the Stockholm Declaration’s promotion of policies to promote walking, cycling and using public transport as inherently healthy and environmentally sound modes of transport.

#Love30: What Next

Momentum has been gained through the UN Global Road Safety Week for 30 km/h limits in urban settings. It is important that this momentum is maintained.

KNPO will continue to support and mobilize NGOs for the #Love30 agenda in the runup to the Head of State meeting in 2022. Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety will do this using #CommitToAct as a vehicle and supporting other global pushes for low speed streets.

On 22 June 2021, Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety held a meeting with NGOs, one month after the UN Global Road Safety Week, to talk about the impact of the week and discuss how to move forward.

Watch Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety recording:

The 6th UN Global Road Safety Week

The 6th UN Global Road Safety Week is held 17-23 May 2021, with hundreds of activities planned and hosted by government ministries, UN agencies, civil society organizations and private companies. The Week seeks to garner policy commitments at national and local levels to deliver 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas; generate local support for such low-speed measures; and build momentum towards the launch of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly in 2022.

Every year, more than 1.3 million people die in road traffic crashes – that’s one person every 24 seconds. Excessive speed is at the core of the road traffic injury problem, with 1 in 3 deaths on the roads in high-income countries attributed to speed. It is estimated that 40-50% of people drive above the speed limit, with every 1 km/h increase in speed resulting in a 4-5% increase in fatal crashes. The risk of death and injury reduces considerably when speeds are lowered.

The February 2020 Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety reflects the resolve of Member States to address speed management as a key road safety intervention, in particular to “strengthen law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h as appropriate in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner…” The Stockholm Declaration underscores that efforts to reduce speed have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.

The Stockholm Declaration based its call for low-speed streets on studies from recent decades In cities such as Graz, Austria; London, UK; New York, USA; and Toronto, Canada, which indicated that 30 km/h speed limits and zones yielded reductions – often significant – in road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths. Evidence shows that 30 km/h streets where people mix with traffic not only save lives, but also promote walking, cycling and a move towards zero-carbon mobility.   

Today, cognizant of these myriad benefits, 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits and zones are being replicated in many cities worldwide. This includes in Brussels, Paris and cities across Spain, which from 11 May 2021 mandates in all the country’s municipalities 30 km/h speed limits on dual carriageways and 20 km/h on single carriageways with a pavement which does not differ in height from the road's surface. 30 km/h zones are also being put in place in sections of cities worldwide, from Bogotá, Colombia to Accra, Ghana and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.   

In line with the Stockholm Declaration, the Global Plan for the new Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 reflects the intrinsic value of managing speed. As noted in the WHO document Managing speed, five actions to make #StreetsforLife are to:

·        Build or modify roads to include features that calm traffic

·        Establish speed limits appropriate to the function of each road

·        Enforce speed limits

·        Install in-vehicle technologies

·        Raise awareness about the dangers of speeding

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was started by RoadPeace in 1993. Since then it has been observed and promoted worldwide by UN, WHO, FIA Foundation and several NGOs, including KNPO, the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) and its associated organizations.

This year it's November 15th!

2020 marks 25 years of commemorating this event, and 15 years since it was recognized by the United Nations. Each year, 1.35 million people are killed around the world in traffic crashes.

Read more about World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims at UN’s site: HERE or find out more on the official website: World Day of Remembrance 2020.

Video provided by WHO

UN General Assembly resolution on Improving Global Road Safety was adopted

UN Resolution on Improving Global Road Safety.

On 31 August 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/299 on Improving Global Road Safety.

The resolution was based on the Stockholm Declaration agreed at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020. It sets out a new target for road safety target for the next 10 years and proclaims the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Main points:

• Proclamation of a Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030.

• A new target to reduce road deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030.

• A request to the UNRSC, WHO and the UN Regional Commissions to prepare a plan of action.

• Encouragement to Member States to take a holistic view of road safety in the context of the full SDG agenda, connecting it to environmental, mobility, equality, gender, and urban planning issues.

• Promotion of environmentally sound, safe, accessible, and affordable modes of quality transport, especially public and non-motorized transport and to actively protect and promote pedestrian safety and cycling mobility.

• A focus on vulnerable road users, including children and youth, older persons, and persons with disabilities.

• A safe system and vision zero approach promoting an evidence-based, data-led approach.

• Provision for vehicle safety, driver standards, road infrastructure, and technology and to address key risk behaviors.

• Post-crash care, rehabilitation and social reintegration for road traffic victims.

• The role of NGOs, academia, private sector, stakeholders to assist governments, who have primary responsibility for road safety, in working together to achieve the targets.

• A high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly by the end of 2022 on improving global road safety with a view to addressing gaps and challenges.

Read the full resolution HERE.

Nils Bohlin saved millions of lives on the roads

Volvo engineer and former aircraft designer Nils Ivar Bohlin (July 17, 1920 – September 21, 2002) realized that the only thing keeping automobile drivers from wearing seatbelts was an overlong fastening process (airline pilots, he noticed, were willing to take however much time was necessary). He got it down to two seconds, and his design is said to have saved millions of lives.

“It was just a matter of finding a solution that was simple, effective and could be put on conveniently with one hand”

— Nils Bohlin

On July 10, 1962, the United States Patent Office issued patent number 3043625 to Nils Bohlin. Before 1959, only two-point lap belts were available in automobiles; for the most part, the only people who regularly buckled up were race car drivers. The two-point belts strapped across the body, with a buckle placed over the abdomen, and in high-speed crashes had been known to cause serious internal injuries. In 1958, Volvo Car Corporation hired Bohlin, who had designed ejector seats for Saab fighter airplanes in the 1950s, to be the company’s first chief safety engineer.

5G network to improve road safety

Next-generation mobile network and fast data transmission solutions can be used to collect a huge amount of data on vehicles on the road. The information can be used, for example, to provide road weather services, carry out road maintenance and control self-driving cars. Ultimately the aim is to reduce accidents.

Local road weather services are one of the key applications for the collected data. In the future, real-time weather information and warnings can be sent directly to drivers' satellite navigation devices, such as warnings about icy conditions around the corner. Drivers can use the information to choose a different route or change the way they drive."

5G-connected cars, equipped with a growing number of autonomous features to assist the driver, will be able to communicate with sensors and information nodes in smart streets and highways as well as other road users, enabling smooth operation of the transportation network and enhancing road safety.

Fully autonomous vehicles may take some time, but meanwhile a revolution is taking place in the air. Drones will increasingly be used for everything from inspection and surveillance activities in dangerous or inaccessible areas to delivery.

Our great concern still; will the automobile industry respect the fact that the driver does not need any other distraction, while driving?

Although 5G networks are still a work in progress for mobile operators, the pace of deployment and launches is picking up at the same time as the transport industry undergoing extensive and radical transformation, all this for a safer road in the future.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, KNPO has suspended its operations

The world's resources are focused on saving earth's population from this virus. Unfortunately, the number of dead and injured in traffic accidents continues. We will return soon to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in traffic, through education using smart, effective actions.

For further information or inquiries please contact us at info@knpo.org

Pedestrian death by Pokémon GO

In a researchers at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management claim the game caused "a disproportionate increase in vehicular crashes and associated vehicular damage, personal injuries, and fatalities in the vicinity of locations, called PokéStops, where users can play the game while driving."

Using data from one municipality, the paper extrapolates what that might mean nationwide and concluded "the increase in crashes attributable to the introduction of Pokémon GO is 145,632 with an associated increase in the number of injuries of 29,370 and an associated increase in the number of fatalities of 256 over the period of July 6, 2016, through November 30, 2016."

The authors extrapolated the cost of those crashes and fatalities at between $2bn and $7.3 billion for the same period in USA only.

We obviously have the same problem with pedestrians walking and watching YouTube or listening to music.

There was a more than 3% increase in the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in USA during 2018, totaling 6,283 deaths — the most deaths since 1990.

The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety

The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was a momentous occasion. The 2030 target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% will only be achieved if real, evidence based action is taken. Our governments must not wait until 2030 to implement these actions.

KNPO managed to achieve some key agreements committing the private sector to assist a road safety initiatives in South Africa. We will come back to you as soon as our partners have delivered what they promised, to report on the progress.

People's Declaration and your commitment, now!

More than 50,000 people have signed the People's Declaration so far. Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety now set our sights on a target of 80,000 signatures before the UN General Assembly meeting to be held in April 2020. Will you help us achieve that? Find it HERE.

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Zero bikers or pedestrians were killed by cars in Oslo last year

In Oslo, Norway, there were zero pedestrian deaths in 2019. There were also zero cyclist deaths. Only one person died in a car crash, a driver who ran into a fence. The city is smaller than San Francisco and New York but roughly the same size as Portland, Oregon—another city that wants to eliminate traffic deaths—where 49 people were killed in car crashes last year.

What’s the difference? At a national level, Norway has more political support for ending “accidents” that can be avoided through better infrastructure design, more traffic enforcement, and other changes in policy. “The most important [factor] might be that road safety has been a priority for many years and has given us a reduction of road deaths, from 560 people yearly in the 1970s to 110 deaths in 2019

Let People Know You’re Driving

Distracted driving is an ongoing safety threat. Today’s phones can detect when you’re at the wheel and automatically respond to incoming text messages with a note explaining that you’re on the road and will be in touch later.

• On an iPhone: Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb > Do not disturb while driving > Activate.

• On an Android phone: Go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb > Turn on automatically > Add rule > Driving. If that doesn’t work, download Google’s free Android Auto app.

Stockholm Declaration

The Stockholm Declaration will be presented as the final outcome document of the Ministerial Conference. All citizens and organizations are now invited to contribute to this consultation on the draft Stockholm Declaration.

An opportunity for delegates to share successes and lessons

KNPO will be participating at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety from 19-20 February 2020 in Stockholm.

At the request of the UN General Assembly, the Government of Sweden will host – in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) – the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety from 19-20 February 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden under the theme “Achieving Global Goals 2030”. National delegations led by ministers of transport, health, interior and other sectors are expected to attend from more than 100 countries, as well as representatives of international agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector.

The Ministerial Conference will be an opportunity for delegates to share successes and lessons from implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020, chart future strategic directions for global road safety, and define ways to accelerate action on proven strategies to save lives. The Ministerial Conference will also provide an opportunity to link road safety to other sustainability challenges reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Chairman’s conclusions, called the “Stockholm Declaration”, will be presented by the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure, Mr. Tomas Eneroth, as the final outcome document of the Ministerial Conference. Building on the Moscow Declaration of 2009 and the Brasilia Declaration of 2015 and UN General Assembly and World Health Assembly resolutions, the Stockholm Declaration will be ambitious and forward-looking and will connect road safety to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Stockholm Declaration will also reflect the recommendations of the Academic Expert Group and its independent and scientific assessments of progress made during the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and its proposals for a way forward.

Riddarholmen from Stockholm City Hall tower

Smartphone walking, not so smart

You are likely to have come across them - pedestrians with their heads down, eyes focused on the screens of their mobile phones or electronic devices while they cross the road. They are sometimes oblivious to their surroundings and can get into accidents. And while we might laugh at the woman who falls into the fountain while texting, or the man who walks into a wall while texting, the problem of distracted walking is a very real and serious one.

Law enforcement around the world has starting updated the “a code of conduct for all road users” to include an advisory against this behavior known as "distracted walking". Pedestrians should avoid using mobile communication devices while crossing the road, said the advisory.

In London, England, some lamp posts have been padded in order to protect the large numbers of people using their mobile devices while walking. Even New York City has lowered the speed limit in some areas as a way to help cut down on the number of pedestrian injuries. Arkansas, Illinois, and New York have all tried unsuccessfully to ban using a mobile device while walking.

In 2017, Honolulu became the first city in the US to fine pedestrians crossing a street or highway with their phones out. Following that, other American cities in Idaho and California also introduced laws against “distracted walking”. Singapore, Baguio City in the Philippines also implemented laws against such behavior in August this year. Offenders could face fines, community service, or even imprisonment if found guilty.

Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were struck and killed by motor vehicles in the US during 2017,
with an estimated 7,450 pedestrian deaths (traffic and non-traffic) according to Injury Facts.

Sweden 2020: Program Announced

This week, the preliminary program for the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety was released. The conference will be held in Sweden on 19-20 February 2020 and its theme is Achieving Global Goals.

The conference is extremely important because it marks the end of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2010 (Decade of Action). In the lead up to the event, NGOs have been encouraging and preparing their government ministers to take part and show they are serious about reducing road deaths and injuries by 50% in their countries.

The program will provide world leaders from more than 80 countries an opportunity to share their country’s progress on the Global Plan for the Decade of Action 2011–2020, identify ways to link road safety to other sustainability challenges, accelerate action on proven life-saving strategies, and plan the future strategy for global road safety. The Alliance and other civil society organizations have been pushing for the 2020 target to reduce road deaths and injuries will be extended to 2030 and it is anticipated that this will be agreed at the conference.