General Assembly: Report of the Secretary-General
Global road safety crisis
The present document responds to General Assembly resolution 57/309. It discusses road traffic injuries and the challenges relating to the prevention of road crashes and their impacts. It emphasizes that road traffic injuries now pose a global public health crisis that requires urgent action at the national and the international levels. It describes the magnitude of the problem, the health, social and economic consequences, and the risk factors and determinants that predispose certain groups to vulnerability to road traffic injuries. On the basis of input received, specific examples of interventions implemented by countries or organizations are used to highlight the fact that road traffic injuries can be prevented, and to discuss attributes of successful intervention strategies. The document calls on Member States, particularly developing countries, to stimulate a new level of commitment in tackling the problem of road safety. Follow-up reports on the steps taken and the monitoring of national rates of road traffic injuries and deaths are also recommended.