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UNECE and WHO organize Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigations Training to Improve Road Safety System in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia

8 – 16 April 2025
Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Event highlights

In a significant step towards improving road safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Republic of Serbia, more than 30 road safety stakeholders from key BiH ministries and road authorities gathered in Neum for a series of workshops on Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigations (MDCI). Held from April 8 to 16, and organized by UNECE and WHO, the workshops aimed to familiarize participants with MDCI methodology and its potential to enhance the road safety system.

Both BiH and Serbia, as aspiring European Union (EU) members, face challenges in improving road safety. One of the gaps is the lack of tools to analyse and learn from road crashes with fatalities and serious injuries, and to implement a safe system approach. These workshops aimed to address this gap by introducing MDCI as a tool for shaping national road safety policy.

Improving all pillars of the road safety system

At present, MDCI is not yet part of the national legislation in either country, but its integration is expected to play an important role in improving all pillars of the road safety system.

“While both countries have already incorporated road safety audits and inspections into their national legislation, MDCI is the next essential step to learn from collision investigations and prevent further road fatalities. As the custodian of UN road safety legal instruments, UNECE stands ready to assist regional and national policy- and decision-makers in their endeavour to minimize and eventually eliminate road crash trauma for all road users,” explained Nenad Nikolic, UNECE Regional Adviser.

The workshops provided participants with hands-on training in analysing real road crashes and using MDCI data to make informed policy decisions. The aim was to demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach to collision investigation can help identify the root causes of crashes and guide the development of more effective road safety laws, regulations and standards.

“By adopting MDCI, we can move beyond surface-level analysis and tackle the real factors contributing to road crashes,” said Mr Samir Dzaferovic, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH. “This workshop has been invaluable in equipping us with the knowledge to apply these insights in our daily work and decision-making processes,” Mr. Dzaferovic added.

Preventing high road fatality rates

Both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia experience road fatality rates significantly higher than the EU average. In 2023, the EU average was 46 road deaths per million inhabitants. In contrast, Serbia recorded 75 and BiH had 72.2. The lack of MDCI implementation in both countries means that they are missing an important opportunity to improve their national road safety systems and reduce fatalities.

The MDCI pilot workshops are expected to lay the groundwork for legislative changes in both countries, with the methodology offering a promising approach to reduce road fatalities and enhance road safety legislation.

The “Better Road Safety System – Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia” project, based on in-depth analysis of road accidents in these countries, is funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and WHO.


Event notice

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and WHO, in collaboration with national road safety stakeholders, will hold a series of capacity-building workshops on Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigations (MDCI) to support road safety system improvements in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia.

The workshops will bring together more than 30 representatives from key ministries and road authorities. Participants will be introduced to MDCI methodology and its application as a tool for analysing serious road crashes, identifying root causes and developing evidence-based policies.