The Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, hosted in Sweden, concluded yesterday, ending on the promise of big changes to road safety in the next decade. The conference, which was hosted in conjunction with the World Health Organization, agreed upon a goal of halving the number of global traffic fatalities by 2030, with the 140 country delegates in attendance pledging their support.
Reducing the number of traffic fatalities by 50% is a huge undertaking, and one that those attending the conference don't see as a solitary task. According to UN News, while pledging to such a drastic reduction, the conference also served to promote international cooperation and support in the shared road safety goal.
"... the more than 1,700 participants from some 140 countries at the Conference on Road Safety... shared successes and lessons learned, while charting strategic directions for global road safety, and defining ways to fast-track progress around proven strategies to save lives."
Many countries have made great progress in this area already, through the passing of effective legislation and through creating better infrastructure. For those countries where the gains have not been as pronounced, sharing knowledge on what works and what doesn't can represent a big leap forward in their own journey towards halving traffic fatalities.
This is especially true for low- and middle-income countries, where, according to WHO, "93 per cent of the world's fatalities occur... even though these nations have approximately 60 percent of the world's vehicles." Cooperation on a global scale will hopefully help redress some of this imbalance, helping to provide vital support where it is most needed.
For more on the outcome of the Conference on Road Safety and how the World Health Organization plans to move forward in achieving its 2030 goal, read the original article in UN News.