IRF PRESS RELEASE

The International Road Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, has launched a new series of biennial themes by declaring Road Safety as its key focus for the years 2011 – 2012.

It will mark this period with a concerted drive to make a decisive contribution to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The emphasis will be on promoting safety as a vital and integral component of overall sustainability, impacting on all aspects of road infrastructure and transport planning.

Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic accidents throughout the world. This represents more than 3,000 avoidable deaths a day – half of which are collateral victims who were not even drivers or passengers of cars! A further twenty to fifty million people sustain non-fatal injuries that are an important cause of disability worldwide.

Ninety percent of road traffic fatalities occur in low and middle-income countries, which together account for less than half of the world's registered vehicle fleet. Road traffic injuries are currently one of the three leading causes of death among people aged between 5 and 44. In the absence of immediate and effective action, road traffic injuries are predicted to become very soon the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, provoking an estimated 2.4 million deaths each year. This worrying evolution can be largely attributed to rapid increases in motorisation, which have not been accompanied by adequate parallel improvements in road safety strategies and land use planning. The global economic repercussions of motor vehicle accidents have been estimated at US$500 billion, representing between 1 to 3% of the Gross National Product (GNP) of individual countries.

IRF recognises that the road transport system comprises three key components: the road users, the vehicles and the roads themselves. Analysis of accidents demonstrates that accidents frequently flow from a critical combination of factors arising from each of these three components.

At every level, from modern motorways, right down to the most basic rural roads, the design and engineering of roads requires a foresighted and fully integrated approach that takes into account a wide range of interdependent social, environmental and safety considerations – not forgetting, of course, the innovative financial mechanisms needed to make all this possible and sustainable. Most importantly, the roads should provide for a secure environment that caters for the needs of vulnerable road users and, as far as possible, compensates for human error.

Accordingly, IRF will mobilise its best available expertise and competence around four broad and interlinked ‘Focus Areas’: Road Safety, Road Finance, Intelligent Transport Systems and Environment.

Within this remit, its specialist Road Safety Working Groups and Committees will evolve and implement a comprehensive strategic action programme, working closely with the UN and other leading inter and non-governmental organisations to coordinate dynamic road safety policies and activities.

In short, IRF will actively commit during its Road Safety Theme Years to promoting a new generation of safer, more ‘forgiving’ roads.

More information can be found on www.irfnet.ch and obtained with info@irfnet.ch.




	Geneva, 7 July 2011
	Better Roads – Safer Roads 2011 – 2012: IRF announces Road Safety as its first Biennial Focus Theme
	The International Road Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, has launched a new series of biennial themes by declaring Road Safety as its key focus for the years 2011 – 2012. It will mark this period with a concerted drive to make a decisive contribution to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The emphasis will be on promoting safety as a vital and integral component of overall sustainability, impacting on all aspects of road infrastructure and transport planning. Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic accidents throughout the world. This represents more than 3,000 avoidable deaths a day – half of which are collateral victims who were not even drivers or passengers of cars! A further twenty to fifty million people sustain non-fatal injuries that are an important cause of disability worldwide. Ninety percent of road traffic fatalities occur in low and middle-income countries, which together account for less than half of the world's registered vehicle fleet. Road traffic injuries are currently one of the three leading causes of death among people aged between 5 and 44. In the absence of immediate and effective action, road traffic injuries are predicted to become very soon the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, provoking an estimated 2.4 million deaths each year. This worrying evolution can be largely attributed to rapid increases in motorisation, which have not been accompanied by adequate parallel improvements in road safety strategies and land use planning. The global economic repercussions of motor vehicle accidents have been estimated at US$500 billion, representing between 1 to 3% of the Gross National Product (GNP) of individual countries. IRF recognises that the road transport system comprises three key components: the road users, the vehicles and the roads themselves. Analysis of accidents demonstrates that accidents frequently flow from a critical combination of factors arising from each of these three components. At every level, from modern motorways, right down to the most basic rural roads, the design and engineering of roads requires a foresighted and fully integrated approach that takes into account a wide range of interdependent social, environmental and safety considerations – not forgetting, of course, the innovative financial mechanisms needed to make all this possible and sustainable. Most importantly, the roads should provide for a secure environment that caters for the needs of vulnerable road users and, as far as possible, compensates for human error. Accordingly, IRF will mobilise its best available expertise and competence around four broad and interlinked ‘Focus Areas’: Road Safety, Road Finance, Intelligent Transport Systems and Environment. Within this remit, its specialist Road Safety Working Groups and Committees will evolve and implement a comprehensive strategic action programme, working closely with the UN and other leading inter and non-governmental organisations to coordinate dynamic road safety policies and activities. In short, IRF will actively commit during its Road Safety Theme Years to promoting a new generation of safer, more ‘forgiving’ roads. More information can be found on www.irfnet.ch and obtained with info@irfnet.ch.