Michael Schumacher speaks at Commission press conference
Lord Robertson, General Kiryanov and Michelle Yeoh speak to the press
Members of the Commission for Global Road Safety, led by former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, have met to review progress in tackling the global road death epidemic at a meeting in St Petersburg, Russia.
Hosted by the Russian Government, the Commission’s meeting also planned the next phase of its global ‘Make Roads Safe’ campaign in advance of the first UN Ministerial Conference on Global Road Safety, to be held in Moscow in November 2009.
The Commission for Global Road Safety agreed to urge UN member governments to set and achieve tough targets for reducing road fatalities and injuries by 2020 when they meet at the 2009 Ministerial.
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, the Commission’s chairman, said:
“Road deaths are a growing epidemic, requiring a rapidly escalated response. The United Nations has decided that this problem is serious enough to warrant a UN Conference bringing together governments from across the world. Today the Commission for Global Road Safety is calling on ministers, when they meet in Moscow next year, to agree an ambitious ten year vision for road safety, with the political and financial commitment to deliver action and save lives.”
Road fatalities are set to double over the next twenty years, overtaking Malaria and Tuberculosis as a leading cause of death, unless urgent action is taken now to improve road safety in rapidly motorizing countries. Already 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads each year, a toll set to increase to 2.1 million by 2030 according to World Health Organization predictions.
Speaking at a press conference following the Commission’s meeting, German Commission member Michael Schumacher, said:
“Every thirty seconds someone is killed on the world’s roads. We can act now to prevent this or we can wait a few years until someone is being killed every fifteen seconds. This is the choice, and I am sure about what I prefer. I look forward to continuing to work with the Commission for Global Road Safety to help ensure that the international community makes the right choice”.
International film actress Michelle Yeoh, who is Global Ambassador for the Make Roads Safe campaign, said:
“Children and young people are most affected by this epidemic. I have met mothers trying to protect their children who would love for their voices to be heard by policymakers. They are fighting for basic human rights, the right to be safe on the roads. The Make Roads Safe campaign will be working hard to ensure that when governments meet in 2009 at the UN Conference in Moscow, they don’t just talk, but they also listen and act”.
The Make Roads Safe campaign has also launched a new film featuring Michelle Yeoh. ‘Make Roads Safe - Demanding Action in 2009’ is the first stage of the new phase of the campaign which will build activity and momentum between now and November 2009.
View film: Low | Med | High (Windows Media Player)
View film: Low | Med | High (QuickTime)
The Commission for Global Road Safety was established by the FIA Foundation in 2006. Recommendations in its first report ‘Make Roads Safe: a new priority for sustainable development’ included the call for a UN Ministerial Conference on global road safety (since approved by the UN General Assembly); a ten year $300 million global Action Plan to catalyse road injury prevention in developing countries; and a proposal that all internationally funded road projects should include a significant component – at least 10% - for road safety. The Commission takes the 2004 WHO/World Bank World report on road traffic injury prevention as the policy basis for its work. For more information see www.commissionforglobalroadsafety.org