Australia’s overseas aid agency, AusAID, is to provide $500,000 to the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility to help tackle rising road deaths in South East Asia. Australia becomes the third government, after Sweden and the Netherlands, to commit funds to the Facility.
The Australian funding will be used by the Global Road Safety Facility in funding a pilot program by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to help curb a sharp rise in road deaths in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Government has sought international help to reduce the suffering and high cost of road accidents.
In 2001 there was a 29 per cent increase in the number of motorcycles but a 37 per cent rise in road deaths.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Greg Hunt MP, said the pilot program would identify high risk roads and affordable engineering projects to improve safety.
"Vietnamese officials will also be trained in road safety assessment and methods to improve public awareness of road safety," Mr Hunt said.
"Australia's assistance in Vietnam follows support for an earlier road safety program that encouraged bicycle and motorcycle riders to wear safety helmets. To enable this new program, Australia will provide $500,000 to the World Bank's Global Road Safety Facility which seeks to boost road safety initiatives in low and middle income countries. The funding for the Vietnamese pilot program is part of a $1 million package over four years to help improve road safety and awareness in our region."
Mr Hunt said 44 per cent of road deaths worldwide occurred in the Asia Pacific, although it is home to just 16 per cent of the world's motorised vehicle fleet.
"The combination of traffic, dense populations and high pedestrian numbers is a significant obstacle to improving road safety," he said.
Tony Bliss, Lead Road Safety Specialist at the World Bank, and manager of the Global Road Safety Facility said, “We are delighted that Australia is joining the Global Road Safety Facility and supporting this vital work in Vietnam. We hope Australia’s decision will encourage other leading donor countries to also support the Facility”.