Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability, with as many as 50 million people suffering from life-altering injuries each year. This is particularly true for individuals aged 5-29 who are at higher risk for road crashes. Globally, one out of every four deaths occurs among pedestrians and cyclists.

EU Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Chair of the Advisory Board of the UNRSF, hosted the event on 27 June 2024 alongside the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt.

Road safety is a daily tragedy that doesn’t seem to make the front pages even though it’s a number one killer. In some countries, it causes more deaths than small firearms, and in others, more than illnesses. With the EU representing only 2% of casualties worldwide, tackling road safety in low and middle-income countries is a bigger challenge. The EU is ready to help with our expertise and resources. – Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva

The UNRSF has played an essential role in recent years, mobilising more than 30 million USD from governments and private donors and supporting 44 projects in 88 countries over the past five years. The EU and many of its Member States have contributed to the Fund. More contributions are needed to effectively assist all countries in need and replenish the Fund for the next five years. A significant milestone for this will be the Ministerial Conference organised by Morocco in February 2025 in Marrakech.

 The event showcased two global initiatives of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety:

1. The United Nations Global Campaign for Road Safety, in partnership with JCDecaux, runs under the motto "Make a Safety Statement" and is set to roll out across 80 countries and 1,000 cities over the next two years (2023-2025). This campaign aims to raise awareness about preventive measures for safe and sustainable mobility with the support of esteemed celebrities, including supermodel Naomi Campbell, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, actress Julie Gayet, F1 driver Charles Leclerc and Oscar-winning actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh.
2. The Safe and Affordable Helmet Initiative aims to deploy helmets that meet UN standards, are comfortable in hot and humid climates, and are priced below $20. Notably, the average sale price of a motorcycle in developing countries is around $1,500 (ranging from $300 to $5,000). From 2008 to 2020, 3.4 million deaths occurred in motorcycle crashes; an estimated 1.4 million lives could have been saved with appropriate helmets.

Road crashes are a silent pandemic on wheels for which we have the cure. Raising awareness is part of the vaccine to promote behaviours that save lives on the road, such as wearing a seat belt, not driving under the influence, reducing speed, not texting and driving, not driving tired, and wearing a helmet in response to UN regulations. The two global initiatives presented have a clear objective to contribute to the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to halve the number of road victims by 2030. – Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety.

Ambassador Knudsen also highlighted the vital role of UNECE, which manages a series of essential conventions on transport and the environment open to countries outside the ECE region. In total, 152 countries are already signatories to at least one of the transport conventions managed by UNECE, covering many aspects important for road safety.

At the event, Cameroon, Morocco, and Sierra Leone also shared their national experiences on initiatives and remaining challenges to making their countries' roads safer.

EU Delegation Geneva

Background

In the EU, we have made great progress, going from more than 50.000 casualties in 2000 to around 20.000 in recent years. However, there is no room for complacency, and the EU has defined Vision Zero as zero casualties in 2050. New policy measures have been proposed and new risks are identified, coming from the uptake of alternative electric mobility.

The WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 shows that worldwide, the number of annual road traffic deaths has fallen slightly to 1.19 million. The report shows that efforts to improve road safety are having an impact and that significant reductions in road traffic deaths can be made if proven measures are applied. Despite this, the price paid for mobility remains too high. Road traffic injuries remain the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years. More than half of fatalities occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, in particular those living in low and middle-income countries. Urgent action is needed if the global goal of at least halving road traffic deaths and injuries by the year 2030 is to be achieved.

UNECE is the custodian of the United Nations road safety legal instruments applicable worldwide. It hosts the secretariat of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt and of the UN Road Safety Fund.