The World Health Organisation on Monday called on countries in the South-East Asia region to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29.
“Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and two- or three-wheeler drivers, account for 66 per cent of road traffic deaths in our region,” World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, Saima Wazed, said in her address at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024) which began here today.
He stressed that roads and their networks should be designed giving priority to those who are most at risk – children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians and other vulnerable groups.
Of the estimated 1.19 million global road traffic deaths in 2021, the South-East Asia Region accounted for 330,223 deaths, accounting for 28 per cent of the global burden, the WHO said in a statement.
With 70 per cent of the global population estimated to live in urban areas by 2030, demand for public transport will increase. The WHO South-East Asia Region, amid rapid urbanisation, faces shared challenges – high prevalence of motorised two- and three-wheelers, inadequate data on traffic accidents, poor infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and limited emergency services, it said.
Unlike high-income countries, where road safety measures often focus on car riders, low- and middle-income countries need to prioritise the safety of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and two- and three-wheeler riders, who are at disproportionately higher risk.
Improving road safety requires strengthening trauma and emergency care systems, enhancing road safety data, strong leadership, and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders, the statement said.
“I’m a big believer in collaboration and partnerships – and want to extend these to non-traditional stakeholders,” the Regional Director said.
He added, “It may be time for us to rethink and reimagine mobility for healthy cities. A holistic approach requires a cross-cutting, multi-sectoral approach that requires collaboration with local governments, urban planners, traffic police, law enforcement and others.”
Road safety is a public health and development priority that is critical to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In September 2020, the United Nations General Assembly launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030, Wazed said.
While the WHO South-East Asia Region saw a 2 per cent reduction in road fatalities in 2021, leading to a 5 per cent reduction globally, further efforts are needed to meet global targets.
At the World Conference, the Regional Director launched the ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on Road Safety: Towards safe and sustainable mobility’. “This report outlines patterns of road traffic accidents in our countries and highlights best practices and country-specific interventions. It is both timely and essential to assess our current situation and guide the actions needed to achieve the global goals,” he said.
Addressing these challenges and implementing the recommended strategies will be critical to advance road safety and reach the 2030 goals, Wazed said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)