One year on, global commitment to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 intensifies
On 11 May 2011, the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 was launched in more than 100 countries, with one goal: to prevent five million road traffic deaths globally by 2020. Moving from the Global Plan for the Decade to national action, many countries have taken measures towards improving road safety, either by developing national plans for the Decade (e.g. Australia, Mexico, the Philippines); introducing new laws (e.g. Chile, China, France, Honduras); or increasing enforcement of existing legislation (e.g. Brazil, Cambodia, the Russian Federation), among other concrete actions. The recent UN General Assembly resolution on global road safety sponsored by more than 80 countries gives further impetus to the Decade by calling on countries to implement road safety activities in each of the five pillars of the Global Plan.
UN General Assembly commits to further action to address the global road safety crisis
On 19 April 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a new resolution set to improve global road safety. Resolution A/66/L.43 recognizes the global public health and development burden resulting from road traffic crashes, while taking into account the efforts made by some low- and middle-income countries to implement best practices, set ambitious targets, and monitor road traffic fatalities. The resolution welcomes national and local launches of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, officially marked on 11 May 2011, and calls on Member States which have not yet done so to develop plans for the Decade.
Risk of elder maltreatment on the rise as populations age
Between 4-6% of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment in the home. Globally, the number of cases of elder maltreatment is projected to increase as many countries have rapidly ageing populations whose needs may not be fully met due to resource constraints. It is predicted that by the year 2025, the global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 542 million in 1995 to about 1.2 billion. Prevention programmes include: public awareness campaigns; screening of potential victims and abusers; and interventions to support caregivers including stress management and respite care.
Preventing injuries and violence: a guide for ministries of health
Injuries and violence are a threat to health in every country of the world. Between them, they account for 10% of global mortality - about 5.8 million deaths every year. Seven of the 15 leading causes of death for people between the ages of 15 and 29 years are injury-related. Preventing injuries and violence: a guide for ministries of health is a reference book for ministries of health and their focal points. It leads the user through the stages of setting up, developing and evaluating violence and injury prevention efforts, always stressing collaboration with other sectors. Included are sections on organization, policy development, data collection, advocacy work and capacity-building.
Top stories
- One year on, global commitment to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 intensifies
- UN General Assembly commits to further action to address the global road safety crisis
- Risk of elder maltreatment on the rise as populations age
- Preventing injuries and violence: a guide for ministries of health
fact buffet
Road traffic injuries
46%of all people dying on the roads are cyclists, pedestrians, or motorcyclists
Global status report on road safety 2009
News
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20 April 2012
WHO Regional Office for Europe releases report on alcohol in the European Union
The report Alcohol in the European Union: consumption, harm and policy approaches has been released by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. This new report uses information gathered in 2011 to update key indicators on alcohol consumption, health outcomes and action to reduce harm across the European Union (EU).
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19 April 2012
UN General Assembly commits to further action to address the global road safety crisis
On 19 April 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a new resolution set to improve global road safety. Resolution A/66/L.43 recognizes the global public health and development burden resulting from road traffic crashes, while taking into account the efforts made by some low- and middle-income countries to implement best practices, set ambitious targets, and monitor road traffic fatalities. The resolution welcomes national and local launches of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, officially marked on 11 May 2011, and calls on Member States which have not yet done so to develop plans for the Decade.
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18 April 2012
Special issue of Traffic injury prevention highlights new road safety data
Today the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health launched Public Health Burden of Road Traffic Injuries: An Assessment from Ten Low- and Middle-Income Countries, a special issue of Traffic injury prevention. This publication, which includes 11 scientific papers jointly authored with 50 colleagues from JH-IIRU and their in-country collaborators, as well as WHO, highlights new and aggregate data collected and analyzed in the 10 participating countries of the Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS10) Project. The papers range from describing road traffic deaths and injuries in Brazil, Kenya, Mexico and Turkey; to analyzing helmet use in Cambodia and drinking and driving in Viet Nam; to reviewing data collection systems in China, Egypt and India.
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17 April 2012
UN Road Safety Collaboration charts progress in the Decade nearly one year after launch
The 15th meeting of the UN Road Safety Collaboration was hosted by WHO and the World Bank on 16-17 April in Washington DC in the context of 2012 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Keynote speaker David Strickland, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States, provided an overview of progress in the country on the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The Decade was a key agenda item, and updates were made on both global and national efforts to implement the Global Plan for the Decade, nearly one year since its launch in May 2011.
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16 April 2012
WHO hosts 2012 Annual Meeting of the Violence Prevention Alliance in Munich, Germany
On 16-17 April 2012 the WHO-led Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) held its fifth dedicated strategy meeting in Munich, Germany. The meeting took place alongside the 17th German Congress on Crime Prevention/6th Annual International Forum on Crime Prevention, an event which drew over 4000 people.
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13 April 2012
WHO and Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety release new guide to enhance advocacy
Nongovernmental organizations representing road safety and road traffic injury victims contribute to making road safety an issue which is real and in need of urgent action. Advocating for road safety and road traffic injury victims: a guide for nongovernmental organizations offers such groups guiding principles and strategic approaches for more targeted advocacy. Highlighting practical initiatives, with related checklists, tips and case studies from around the world, the guide is especially targeted towards organizations operating with limited resources. Coinciding with the creation of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, the guide aims to help participating organizations advocate strategically, particularly in the framework of Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.
