This Commission was established in 2006 with the primary objective of advocating for greater international attention, commitment and support for road injury prevention.
Road traffic injuries represent nothing less than a public health crisis for developing countries, a global epidemic which is forecast to worsen significantly over the next decade, unless preventative action is taken.
Global road safety barely features on the international political agenda, yet it is a vital missing piece of the sustainable development jigsaw. Dangerous roads have an impact on every other development objective, be it improving health and education, or growing economies and trade, not least through the immense economic and social costs of road crashes.
The Commission for Global Road Safety has made some progress, not least in securing the UN’s support for the first ever global ministerial conference on road safety which will be held in Moscow in November 2009.
In the run-up to the Ministerial Conference, the Commission for Global Road Safety will continue to make the case for political and financial investment in road safety. Road crashes are the leading global cause of death for young people. By 2015 – the target year for the Millennium Development Goals – road crashes are also predicted to be the leading burden of disease for children aged 5 and over in developing countries.
The international community can help to prevent this terrible epidemic. But we must act now. By supporting our Make Roads Safe campaign, and adding your name to the call for a Decade of Action for Road Safety to reduce the appalling projected increase in road deaths, you can add strength to a global movement that is demanding real action in 2009.
Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT. GCMG