Global Road Safety Week

According to the World Health Organization, each year traffic accidents kill nearly 1.2 million people and injure or disable 20-50 million more across the world. The human toll is tragic. The economic impact is also enormous, $500 billion globally. In developing countries it exceeds $100 billion, nearly double the total combined development assistance these countries receive every year from bilateral and multi-lateral government organizations.

United Nations Assembly Resolution 60/5 has designated April 23-29, 2007 as Global Road Safety Week. The resolution invites the United Nations member nations to organize and host public awareness activities to underscore the preventable nature of road traffic crashes and to educate the public on the impact that accidents have on global health.

The U.S. government is working with its bilateral and multilateral partners, governments, industry groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide to raise awareness about global road safety. It also is engaging with partners in the private and public sectors to promote education and infrastructure development to increase road safety for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Department of Transportation Global Road Safety Week Site 
United Nations Global Road Safety Week Site

--03/31/08  Statement by Nancy Carter-Foster, Senior Adviser for Health and Chair, Interagency Global Road Safety Roundtable, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, on Agenda Item 46: Global road safety crisis, ; United States Mission to the United Nations ; Washington, DC
--04/20/07  Statement on Global Road Safety; Under Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns; Released by Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Washington, DC