Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020

Approximately 1.3 million people die on the world’s roads each year and up to 50 million people sustain non-fatal injuries. Low to middle income countries account for over 90% of road traffic deaths.

In March 2010, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly took steps to address this enormous global problem by proclaiming the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 (the Decade). The UN resolution on the Decade was introduced by the Russian Federation and co-sponsored by 100 countries including Australia.

The goal set for the Decade is: “to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world” by 2020.

First Anniversary Forum

On 11 May 2012, a forum was held at Old Parliament House in Canberra, to celebrate the first anniversary of the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The event was hosted by the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) and the ARRB Group, in collaboration with the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust.  The Hon Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport gave an opening address.

The forum was an opportunity to discuss progress in the first year of the Decade of Action for Road Safety and the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020 and to identify ways for Australian organisations and agencies to contribute to global, national and regional road safety.

• Media statement by the Hon Catherine King MP
• Speech by the Hon Catherine King MP

Decade of Action launch events

The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 was launched on 11 May 2011 with rolling 24-hour events in each of the world’s time zones.

As part of this global event, the Hon Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, hosted the official Australian Government launch of the Decade at Parliament House, Canberra, on 11 May. At the launch, the Hon Richard Marles MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, announced Australian Government funding of $6.2 million to the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility. The event was attended by Government Ministers, Senators and Members of Parliament, and industry and community organisations.

• Joint media statement by the Hon Catherine King MP and the Hon Richard Marles MP
• Speech by the Hon Catherine King MP
• Speech by the Hon Richard Marles MP
• Decade of Action for Road Safety—Factsheet

A Reminder of Our Nation’s Road Safety Journey

Just as is the case in all developed countries, Australia has long been using television and cinema advertising to promote road safety messages.

The following video has been compiled from footage drawn from the National Film Archives. It provides three examples of road safety messages from the past.

While the cars and the fashions have changed — the key challenges and messages seen in these videos remain the same:

Don’t Drink and Drive — Speed Kills — Buckle Up

Decade of Action for Road Safety - Video

Decade of Action for Road Safety - Video

[ Flash Video: 16.3 MB ]

National Roundtable

A national roundtable was held at Parliament House in Canberra on 3 March 2011. This meeting was initiated by ARRB Group and the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), to identify ways that Australia can contribute to the Decade of Action within the region and globally in order to reduce the health burden of road crashes. The roundtable report identifies opportunities for government agencies, industry, professional bodies, research institutions, road user groups and individuals to contribute.

• Global Road Safety Decade of Action: National Roundtable Report

Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011—2020

The Decade is being coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), through the UN Road Safety Collaboration (RSC). The RSC has developed a plan of action for the Decade, which provides a framework for activities during the Decade. The categories, or ‘pillars’, of activity are:

• building road safety management capacity
• improving the safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks
• further developing the safety of vehicles
• enhancing the behaviour of road users
• improving post-crash care.

Indicators have been developed to measure progress in each of these areas.

You can download the Global Plan from the following website: http://www.who.int/roadsafety/decade_of_action/plan/en/index.html

Road Safety Tag

The yellow Road Safety Tag is the symbol of the global movement to improve safety on the roads and is the official symbol for the Decade of Action. For more information about the Road Safety tag please refer to http://www.decadeofaction.org

Road Safety Fund

A Road Safety Fund has been established and is being managed by the FIA Foundation and the WHO. Individuals, governments and industry can donate money to go towards a range of international programs for road safety, with a focus on developing nations. For more information about the Road Safety Fund please refer to http://www.roadsafetyfund.org/.

Background

The Decade was proposed by the Commission for Global Road Safety (www.makeroadssafe.org), which was established by the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society (http://www.fiafoundation.org/) in 2006. This body also campaigned for the first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety which was hosted by the Russian Federation in November 2009.