Key Issues to Address Road Safety

KEY ISSUES TO ADDRESS ROAD SAFETY
Presentation to WRI on January 14, 2010
by
Stein Lundebye
Former Senior Transport Engineer
World Bank
Washington, DC,
U.S.A.

1.2 million die a year
20-50 million more are injured or disabled
11th leading cause of death
account for 2.1% of all deaths globally
Road traffic injuries are a huge public health and development problem

WHO Graph

WHO IS AT RISK IN ROAD ACCIDENTS ?
40 – 50% of persons killed are pedestrians in developing countries
20 – 40% of accidents involve public transport vehicles in developing countries
40-50% of road deaths are cyclists & motorcyclists
in some Asian countries (Vietnam, Laos, Thailand)
About 20% of killed and injured persons are under 15 years old
Mostly poor people are involved in road crashes

HOW TO IMPROVE ROAD SAFETY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The following actions should be taken:
Establish a National Road Safety Authority with a Secretariat
Establish a Road Safety Fund
Develop and implement Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan
Provide resources to fund and sustain the actions shown in the RSAP

DEVELOPMENT OF A ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN
Road Safety should appear prominently in the Government’s transport policy and proper allocation of resources required
A Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) must be realistic, achievable and affordable
The Action Plan should be reviewed annually and evaluated on a regular basis.

CONTENT OF THE PLAN
The road safety strategy and action plan should be covering the following key areas:
Safer Road Users
Safer Roads and Roadsides
Safer Vehicles
Safer Systems and Management, including legislation, enforcement, and emergency services
Description of roles and responsibly for each of the implementing agencies involved, and budget estimates for each agency should be included in the RS Action Plan

Road Safety Action Plan
Recommendations for Effective Actions
Provide support to Government committees, agencies, or organisations responsible for road safety co-ordination and management
Provide funding for road safety activities, and research additional sources
Promote community and NGO involvement in road safety activities
The Traffic Police should enforce traffic laws more effectively
The traffic legislation should be reviewed and recommend improvements
Plan and implement all-year-round program for publicity campaigns
Prepare and implement road safety education programs for children
Review vehicle testing system and recommend improvements
Review driver licensing system, driver training and testing procedures and implement improvements needed
Develop and finance programs for road safety research
Review present arrangements for emergency medical assistance to road accident victims and implement recommended improvements
Encourage establishment of national road safety NGOs and provide support to these NGOs

WHO DOES WHAT
Commitment at the highest level of the Government essential for success
Success depends also on many key stakeholders working together (MOT, Roads Dept., Police, MOH, MOE, NGOs, etc.)
A lead organization to be identified (The National Road Safety Authority )
Regional Road Safety Councils (administrative and financial support will be required). Establish District Road Safety Committees to be very involved at local level
Promote partnerships with private sector and NGOs.

Objectives of Community Road Safety by NGOs
Main objective reduction of road trauma
Creating an informed community
Mobilizing local resources
Promoting effective road safety actions
Integrating road safety activities with other public health initiatives

BRAC Community Road Safety Program
Activities
Training: Trainer- 79, Field Staff- 2599
RS NGO/CBO Network: 244
Road Safety Theatre
IEC Material developed and used: Posters and Flipcharts
School Education: NFPE - 1.1 m students
Animation RS Cartoon : Lal-Holud-aar Shobuj
Drivers Training: Defensive Driving Workshops, Training of drivers for heavy commercial vehicles
Research:
Community Traffic Policing and Community Road Safety Education projects in partnership with TRL, UK
Many Road Safety Public Awareness Campaigns (RSPACs) carried out for RHD, MOC

VALUE FOR MONEY
Governments have a moral responsibility for the safety of citizens. Added advantage in investing in road safety:
Investments in road safety provides Rate of Returns (ERR) that cannot be matched by any other investment within the transport sector
Many studies have shown that low cost engineering improvements of hazardous locations can give ERR of more than 100 -300%

After Before Before and After Scenario NH 47 (Enchakal, Kerala State, India) Accident Site Improvement Program

Returns in Road Safety
Average cost of a simple blackspot improvement = US$ 10 - 20,000
Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of Accident Blackspots generally comes in the range of 100%-300%
Case Study- Enchakkal Roundabout
Capital Cost = US$ 20,000 ( Constructed in 2003)
Reduction accident by 60% ( In 2004)
Accident Savings in first year about US $ 45,000
First Year Rate of Return(FYRR) = 223%
Total economic loss due to road accidents in Kerala State for 2004 was
US$ 900 mill. , which is more or less same as the annual PWD budget.

Effective Road Safety Schemes (UK)
Measure FYRR (%)
Treatment of bends (signs & markings) 722
Priority junctions 523
Cycle schemes 444
Signalized intersections 266
Traffic calming 260
Pedestrian facilities 246
Areawide schemes 225
Roundabouts 177

Speed
Alcohol
Seat-belts and child restraints
Helmets
Visibility
Solutions can be adapted in low- and middle-income countries

Identify a lead agency in government to guide the national road traffic safety effort.
Assess the problem, policies and institutional settings.
Prepare a national road safety strategy and a plan of action.
Allocate financial and human resources to address the road safety problem.
World Health Report Recommendations

5. Implement specific actions to prevent road traffic crashes, minimize injuries and their consequences and evaluate the impact of these actions.
6. Support the development of national capacity and international cooperation.
Recommendations

Road safety is a shared responsibility GOVERNMENT & LEGISLATIVE BODIES MEDIA PROFESSIONALS NGOs, SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS POLICE INDUSTRY USERS / CITIZENS ROAD INJURY PREVENTION POLICY

Safe Systems Approach
An essential tool for effective road accident prevention is the adoption of a safe systems approach to:
Identify road safety problems
Formulate road safety strategy
Set targets for injury reduction
Monitor performance of various implemented road safety activities

CONCLUSIONS : PRIORITIES WITHIN INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES
One of the main problems is the lack of political willingness to carry out road safety. Funding for road safety measures is really not the problem but the priorities for safety actions are real problems for governments
Need to identify inadequacies in each sector of road safety
Organization of national seminars to raise awareness amongst political decision makers
Establish effective road accident database (e.g. MAAP)
Establish interim working group to co-ordinate road safety activities until formal NRSC can be set up
Development of key road safety professionals

Development and implementation of country specific short-term Road Safety Action Plan (duration 2-3 years)
Development and Implementation of long- term
(e.g. 5 year) road safety program
Governments cannot - even if they do their best - manage the road safety challenge alone and therefore they need support by the society, including the NGOs
NGOs involvement can contribute to sustainability and effectiveness by introducing innovative approaches and promoting community participation in road safety

Thank you for your attention

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Key Issues to Address Road Safety

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