Summary of the 3 Ministerial Conference for Road Safety

Every 24 seconds, someone dies as a result of a traffic accident in the world IT IS URGENT TO END THE INACTION IN ROAD SAFETY

Last week, world leaders, including Pere Navarro, General Director of Traffic, Juli Gendrau, Director of the Servei Català de Trànsit and Sonia Díaz de Corcuera, Director of Traffic of the Basque government, met in Sweden at the Third World Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to agree on a global target that could save 650,000 lives each year.

Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, said: “Today, road traffic injuries represent one of the leading causes of death among young people between the ages of 5 and 29. Its consequences are devastating. I took the role of the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety in tackling this avoidable and tragic crisis. I believe we are making a difference, but progress has been slow and needs to be accelerated. I encourage governments to step up and take urgent action to achieve a significant 50% reduction in traffic deaths by 2030. I also call on civil society to speak up and make the voices of the most vulnerable heard.”

In the two days that the conference lasted, 7,400 people died in the world, which means that every year 1.35 million people die on the streets and highways of the world and 50 million more who are seriously injured. In 2019 in Spain alone, more than 1,098 people died as a result of traffic accidents. The human cost is devastating, causing physical and emotional pain, suffering and paralyzing fear. In addition, many affected experience other associated losses such as separations and divorces, loss of work and income, and inequality in terms of opportunities in education and employment.

We know that these deaths are preventable. The new global target to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on streets and highways by 50% by 2030 compared to 2020 is an important step. Governments, including the Spanish government, must make a firm decision to prioritize the safety of citizens and implement measures that will save thousands of lives, such as reducing speeds to 30km/h in urban areas.

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