World report on road traffic injury prevention: Summary

The World report on road traffic injury prevention is the first major report being jointly issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank on this subject. It underscores their concern that unsafe road traffic systems are seriously harming global public health and development. It contends that the level of road traffic injury is unacceptable and that it is largely avoidable. The report has three aims.; To create greater levels of awareness, commitment and informed decision-making at all levels- government, industry, international agencies and non-governmental organizations- so that strategies scientifically proven to be effective in preventing road injuries can be implemented. Any effective response to the global challenge of reducing road traffic casualties will require all these levels to mobilize great effort.; To contribute to a change in thinking about the nature of the problem of road traffic injuries and what constitutes successful prevention. The perception that road traffic injury is the price to be paid for achieving mobility and economic development needs to be replaced by a more holistic idea that emphasizes prevention through action at all levels of the road traffic system.; To help strengthen institutions and to create effective partnerships to deliver safer road traffic systems. Such partnerships should exist horizontally between different sectors of government and vertically between different levels of government, as well as between governments and non-governmental organizations. At the government level, this means establishing close collaboration between sectors, including public health, transport, finance, law enforcement and other sectors concerned. This summary of the 'World report on road traffic injury prevention' is primarily intended for people responsible for road safety policies and programmes at the national level and those most closely in touch with road safety problems and needs at the local level. The views expressed and the conclusions drawn are taken from the main report and the many studies to which that report refers. Also see rec #s 7507, 7480, 7474 and 7975. Available at: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/world_report/en/index.html