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WHO scientist predicts Decade of Action for Road Safety may save 5 million lives
Chile, China, France and New Zealand have enacted tougher road safety legislation; Brazil, Cambodia and the Russian Federation increased enforcement of existing laws.
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BERLIN — Through involvement in the United Nations 2011–2020 Decade of Action for Road Safety, nations can drastically reduce the number of trauma cases that lead to hospitalizations and adopt increased legislation that will promote positive road safety, according to a presenter at the 13th EFORT Congress 2012, here.
Typically traumatologists are most concerned with the Decade’s fifth pillar — post-crash response — but they should be equally focused on the overall goals of road safety, Manjul Joshipura, MD, a scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) and founder of the WHO Global Alliance for the Care of the Injured, said.
“The goal is to stabilize the growth…and then reduce the level of all fatalities in this decade,” he said during an injury prevention lecture discussing the Decade of Action for Road Safety. “If we work together and achieve the goal, [then] we expect we will be able to save 5 million lives, 50 million injuries and about $3 trillion U.S. dollars.”
Manjul Joshipura
To date, Chile, China, France, Honduras and New Zealand have enacted greater road safety legislation and Brazil, Cambodia and the Russian Federation have increased enforcement of existing laws in their countries in response to the Five Pillars, but more support is needed, he said.
The Five Pillars of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 are road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, and better post-crash management.
Currently, only 15% of countries have comprehensive legislation to address five known behavioral risk factors related to safer road users, Joshipura said.
In the future, nations should create country-wide mechanisms for better care of trauma and then bring that capacity internationally to improve the quality of care, as well as develop evidence-based cost-effective solutions, he said.
Outside of legislation, action is also underway internationally to promote road safety. In May, funding for driver safety training in South Africa increased by $150,000 after a donation from United Parcel Service, bringing the 2012 donations to date to the Road Safety Fund in that country to $300,000. The funding will go toward training truck drivers in South Africa and in neighboring countries, according to a press release from the Road Safety Fund.
The Bone & Joint Decade, which helped develop and implement the Decade of Action for Road Safety, is also continuing, mostly due to its success in the last 10 years. Although considerable progress was made, the organization plans to continue its efforts to make the treatment and management of musculoskeletal issues worldwide its main priority. This new initiative was renamed The Bone & Joint Decade 2010-2020 Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health. A conference to discuss the Bone & Joint Decade 2010-2020 is planned for November 30–December 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. The conference will be a forum for Southeast Asian opinion leaders to discuss how to bring musculoskeletal health to the forefront of world health issues. – by Jeff Craven
Reference:
- Joshipura M. The United Nations in action: A decade dedicated to reduce RTIs 2011-2020. Presented at the 13th EFORT Congress 2012. May 23-25. Berlin.
For more information:
- Manjul Joshipura, MD, can be reached at 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland; email: joshipuram@who.int.
Disclosure:
- Joshipura has no relevant financial disclosures.