11:40-12:40 Parallel Sessions 20 February

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Reaping the Benefits of Safe Speeds

Excessive and inappropriate speed is among the key risks for road traffic deaths and injuries, contributing to around one third of road traffic fatalities in high-income countries and up to one half in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to costing lives, speed also contributes to vehicle emissions, harmful particulates, noise and a sense of insecurity that impedes active mobility.

Safe speeds are among the four main elements of the safe system approach, along with safe roads and roadsides, safe vehicles and safe road users. Approaches to managing speed include building or modifying roads to include features that calm traffic such as roundabouts and speed bumps; establishing speed limits to the function of each road; enforcing speed limits; installing in-vehicle technologies such as intelligent speed assistance; and raising awareness through campaigns about the dangers of speeding. The logistics sector with its large fleets can play a significant role in lowering speeds when its drivers obey speed limits and inspire others to follow. Countries which have implemented the safe system approach – including interventions to ensure safer speeds – are those which have made the most progress in saving lives on their roads.

Panelists

Moderator

Jeanne Breen
Chief Executive Officer | Jeanne Breen Consulting

Introduction

Soames Job
Global Lead Road Safety, and Head of the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) | World Bank

Panel participants

Osagie E. Ehanire
Minister of State for Health | Nigerian Government of the Federation

Saad Al-Muhannadi
President |Public Works Authority |Qatar

Hartwig Schafer
Vice President | World Bank

Dave Cliff
Chief Executive Officer | Global Road Safety Partnership

Aims of the session:

Demonstrate the links between managing speed and other aspects of road safety.
Offer examples of countries, cities and private companies which have reduced cost, road traffic deaths and injuries by prioritizing speed management.
Identify key priorities for the next decade.

Managing Road Safety

Experience from the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 shows that reducing road traffic deaths and injuries requires more significant commitments and action. As described in Pillar 1 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action, and as reflected in Global Road Safety Performance Targets 1 and 2, renewed efforts hinge upon better road safety management. This is comprised of a broad range of activities. For starters, a lead agency for road safety should be designated in all countries, with mechanisms for coordination across sectors, to lead implementation of a national road safety plan, with specific strategies, targets and indicators. The targets should ideally be in line with the Global Road Safety Performance Targets agreed upon by Member States in November 2017.

In addition, all countries should adhere to and/or fully implement United Nations legal instruments related to road safety, among them the Convention on Road Traffic and the Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Such road safety management efforts should be underpinned by strong data collection systems, necessary to provide baseline data and monitor progress in reducing road traffic deaths and injuries and other important indicators such as cost. To ensure better road safety management, there is clearly a need for new and stronger alliances across the public and private sectors. Management systems such as ISO 39001, the International Organization for Standardization’s template for best practice in road safety management, can be an efficient tool to guide organizations wanting to deliver better road safety.

Panelists

Moderator

Vanessa Rubio
Executive Director | OHANA 503

Introduction

Veronica Raffo
Senior Infrastructure Specialist | Senior Infrastructure Specialist |World Bank

Panel participants

Knut Arild Hareide
Minister of Transport | Ministry of Transport | Norway

Fikile Mbalula
Minister of Transport | Ministry of Transport | South Africa

Bruno Courme
Director | Total Foundation

Jeffrey Michael
Distinguished Scholar | Johns Hopkins University | United States of America

Aims of the session:

Highlight the important role of effectively managing road safety.
Provide national and local models of best practice in management.
Describe how alliances involving the public and private sectors can facilitate stronger road safety management.
Identify actions required to achieve the Global Road Safety Performance Targets 1 and 2 by 2030.

Designing Roads for Safety

Pillar 2 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action addresses safer roads and mobility. The road infrastructure industry invests over US$ 600 billion a year in the management, construction and maintenance of new and existing roads. Road design standards and layouts provide the foundation for all interactions between road users and road features. For the majority of road traffic crashes that kill and injure – head-on collisions, run-off road crashes, collisions at intersections and crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – an engineering or speed management solution exists.

The inherent safety and protective quality of road networks which benefit all road users should be prioritized, especially for the most vulnerable. This will be achieved through the implementation of various road infrastructure agreements under the United Nations framework, independent road infrastructure assessments and star ratings in support of the Global Road Safety Performance Targets 3 and 4, and investment in safety-conscious planning, design, construction and operation of roads. Governments and road authorities should identify and eliminate all high-risk roads, by improving the safety performance for all road users.

Panelists

Moderator

Claude Van Rooten
President | World Road Association

Introduction

Rob McInerney
Chief Executive Officer | iRAP

Panel participants

Bill Halkias
President | International Road Federation

Karen Vancluysen
Secretary General | POLIS

Joy Kabatsi Kafura
State Minister of Transport | Ministry of Works and Transport | Uganda

Andre Dzikus
Director, Global Solutions Division | UN Habitat

Ensuring Safe Vehicles and Vehicle Fleets

As reflected in Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action, safer vehicles are a cornerstone for safe traffic. In recent decades significant progress has been made in vehicle safety. Crashworthiness technologies, including air bags, seat-belts, crumple zones, and improved pedestrian protection have been combined with crash avoidance systems such as electronic stability control to make vehicles safer than ever before. The use of United Nations regulations has helped raise levels of safety while supporting fair competition in the global vehicle trade. New car assessment programmes (NCAPs) with their star ratings to promote consumer awareness have also contributed by encouraging vehicle manufacturers to accelerate development and fitment of such life-saving technologies.

The fact remains, however, that there are major differences in the safety of new and used cars across regions and countries. Getting all new and used vehicles to exceed the most important United Nations safety standards by 2030, as proposed through the Global Road Safety Performance Target 5, would dramatically increase safety around the world. Such progress could be encouraged both by wider application of UN vehicle standards and the use of fiscal and other incentives to discourage import and export of new and used cars that fail to meet safety standards. Garnering the commitment of governments and the managers of public and private sector fleets to purchase, operate and maintain vehicles, including buses and trucks, that offer advanced safety technologies would further such efforts.

Panelists

Moderator

Jessica Truong
Vice President Programmes | Towards Zero Foundation

Introduction

Alejandro Furas
Secretary General | Secretary General of Global NCAP and Latin NCAP

Panel participants

Yuwei Li
Director, Sustainable Transport Division | United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Graziella Jost
Programme Director | European Transport Safety Council

Dan Chen
Global Vice President for Transportation Safety | 3M

Erik Jonnaert
Special Envoy Road Safety | International Organisation of Automobile Constructors (OICA)

Aims of the session:

Illustrate the significant differences in the safety of new and used vehicles across regions and countries.
Highlight the vehicle safety features which have most contributed to saving lives.
Showcase the contribution of NCAPs to recent progress
Explore how the public and private sectors can contribute to bringing safe vehicles to the global market.
Identify actions required to achieve the Global Road Safety Performance Target 5 by 2030.

Improving The Behaviour of All Road Users

The Vision Zero concept is based on the belief that while humans make mistakes, those mistakes should not have fatal consequences. Instead, the various components of the transport system should be designed in such a way that road traffic crashes when they do occur do not result in death or serious injury. Within that context, however, it remains the responsibility of all who use the roads to comply with road safety laws and regulations.

As described in Pillar 4 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action on safer road users, and as reflected in Global Road Safety Performance Targets 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, this includes laws related to speeding; drinking and driving; using motorcycle helmets, seat-belts and child restraints; and driving distracted, among others. In combination with technical support and good laws and law enforcement on these issues, governments can promote safe behaviours on the roads through mass media campaigns and ultimately create a culture of safety. Both public and private sectors, especially those with large fleets, should also endeavour to promote comprehensive policies and practices to reduce work-related injuries, reflecting best practice in occupational health and safety.

Panelists

Moderator

Judy Fleiter
Global Programme Manager | Global Road Safety Partnership

Introduction

Abdulgafoor M. Bachani
Director, International Injury Research Unit | Johns Hopkins University |United States of America

Panel participants

Benacer Boulaajoul
Director | National Road Safety Agency | Morocco

Michael Dreznes
Executive Vice President | International Road Federation Global

Nikhil Seth
Executive Director | UNITAR

Pamela Milligan
Chief of Staff and Management Board Member | TomTom

Aims of the session:

Showcase best practice national and local road safety laws on key risks which have proven to save lives.
Highlight the contribution of law enforcement to such efforts.
Highlight the role of the public and private sectors in ensuring occupational health and safety for their employees and the communities they serve.
Identify actions required to achieve the Global Road Safety Performance Targets 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 by 2030.

Enhancing the Post-Crash Response

The fifth pillar of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, the post-crash response, focuses on avoiding preventable death and disability, by limiting the physical, psychological and social impact of injuries once an event has occurred. Survivors and families often have a range of needs for support in these areas. A broad and integrated approach can help all those affected regain their functioning and independence at home and at work.

This session will discuss the full spectrum of post-crash response for survivors and their families, including: delivery of timely emergency care, as highlighted in the Global Road Safety Performance Target 12; rehabilitation to minimize physical and psychological trauma; legislative issues such as crash investigation and civil and criminal justice; and collaboration across governmental and nongovernmental organizations to provide a strengthened post-crash response.

Panelists

Moderator | Introduction

Lee Wallis
Head of Emergency Medicine | Western Cape Government | South Africa

Panel participants

Maxwell Osei-Ampofo Komfo
Head of Directorate, Emergency Medicine | Anokye Teaching Hospital |Ghana

Tsion Firew
Special Advisor | Ministry of Health | Ethiopia

Sidney Boois
Senior Manager | Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, Namibia

Emma Maclennan
Director general | EASST/FIRE AID

Aims of the session:

Highlight the key qualities of an effective emergency care system.
Indicate the main policy and legislative mechanisms for increasing access to emergency care.
Showcase efforts by countries and cities to increase the effectiveness of the entire spectrum of the post-crash response.
Identify actions required to achieve the Global Road Safety Performance Target 12 by 2030.

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Last updated: 2020-02-14