Vision Zero: latest road safety research and initiatives from Brake

Global initiatives Policy: Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety has launched its Africa Chapter to strengthen the NGO voice in Africa and empower NGOs to deliver road safety  targets agreed by UN member states. Africa has 2% of the world’s cars but 16% of the world’s road deaths, and more than 300,000 people lose their lives in road traffic crashes in the region every year, while thousands more are injured. NGOs play a major role in advocating for road safety policies across Africa. The Africa Chapter calls for governments in Africa to take the lead in road safety, through political ownership, long-term vision and strategic leadership. It also calls for increased funding for evidence-based road safety measures that put people first. The news was announced at the 1st African Road Safety Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, where policy-makers, government representatives, NGOs and other stakeholders met to discuss solutions to the road safety crisis in Africa.

Sustainability Research: Air quality The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on stakeholders worldwide to step-up action against air pollution after revealing that more than 90% of children breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at risk. Exposure to air pollution affects brain development and is linked to asthma, childhood cancers and cardiovascular disease later in life. Even low levels of air pollution damage children’s lung function. The latest WHO report on air pollution and child health highlights that 93% of children under 15 live in areas where levels of ambient fine particulate matter exceed WHO air quality guidelines; this rises to 98% of children under five in low- and middle-income countries (compared with just 52% of under-fives in high-income countries). Vehicle emissions are one of the major sources of particulate matter pollution. At the First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this month, participants agreed an aspirational goal to reduce the number of deaths from air pollution by two-thirds by 2030. Attendees called for urgent, decisive action to address the health crisis. Research: Shared mobility Shared mobility could bring substantial benefits to Dublin and its transport system, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality and accessibility, says a new report from the International Transport Forum (ITF). The ITF examined the impact of sharing transport services on mobility in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), Ireland, while promoting the integration of public transport and active travel. Researchers modelled 11 different transport scenarios, to show how shared transport could improve congestion, lower CO2 emissions and increase use of public space. They found that mobility in the area could be delivered with only 2% of the current number of private vehicles, through a shared mobility transport system that included existing rail services. Vehicle distance driven, emissions and congestion could all be reduced by between 30 and 40% and implementing a shared mobility strategy at a wider regional scale would deliver even greater benefits. The report also found that women and young people under the age of 25 were the most likely to use shared mobility services, citing lower costs and reduced waiting times as the main attractions. Vehicles Initiative: #SaferCarsForAfrica Global NCAP and AA South Africa have issued an urgent call for African governments to ban the sale of zero-star cars to protect drivers from the risk of death and serious injury in a road crash. The call follows the latest crash test results issued as part of Global NCAP’s #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign, in which Nissan’s NP300 ‘Hardbody’ received a zero-star safety rating. The vehicle’s structure collapsed during the crash test and the bodyshell was so unstable that the airbags were ineffective. High forces placed on the crash test dummy posed a significant risk of fatal injury in the event of a crash. Nissan is marketing the NP300 Hardbody as the “king of African pickups”, with a “security shield” to protect its occupants. Raising awareness Event: World Day of Remembrance 2018 The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR2018) took place on 18 November this year, commemorating the lives of people killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads. This year’s theme was ‘Roads have stories’ and encouraged road crash victims and those bereaved by road crashes to share their experiences and raise awareness of the sudden and devastating effects of a road crash on victims, their loved ones and communities. WDoR2018 also focused on pillar two of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety – Safer roads and mobility, by asking policy-makers to raise the safety and quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users, through infrastructure assessments and improved planning, design, construction and operation of roads. Initiative: The Global Urban Mobility Challenge 2019 The Global Urban Mobility Challenge 2019 is open for submissions. Urban policy-makers with ideas for new initiatives to improve sustainable mobility can now apply for funding to transform their vision into reality. Project topics range from active mobility, to logistics, to e-mobility. Launched by the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), the global challenge focuses on encouraging bold and ambitious policies to improve the sustainability of urban transport systems in developing countries and emerging economies. Get involved: The deadline for submission is 21 December 2018. Upcoming global road safety events 4 December 2018 IRF & UNECE ITS Summit Organisers: International Road Federation Location: Geneva, Switzerland 4-5 December 2018 COP24: 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change Organisers: UNFCCC Location: Katowice, Poland Find out more: Visit our calendar of global road safety events.