First United Nations Global Road Safety
Week
23-29 April 2007
"Young road users, including young drivers"
Background
Upon request from the
United Nations General Assembly, the first Untied Nations Global Road
Safety Week will be organized during the week of 23-29 April 2007.
During this week, a large number of international, national and local
events will be hosted all over the world. Many partners will
participate in the organization and implementation including United
Nations and government agencies, as well as civil society and the
private sector. Coordination will be provided by the United
Nations Regional Commissions and the World Health Organization "WHO".
The week, which will be modelled after previous road safety weeks
organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
and after the World Health Day 2004, will serve as a platform to raise
awareness about road safety issues and call for action.
Theme
The theme
of the week will be "young road users, including
young drivers" because young road users
constitute a major group at risk of death,
injury and disability on the road. They
are also a large proportion of the drivers
involved in crashes. However, the actions
resulting from the week will benefit road users
of all ages.
Too late to
slow down
Speed kills all types of road
users-drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
A 5% cut in average speed can reduce the
number of fatal crashes by as much as
30%
Be part of
the solution:
Objectives of the week will aim
to draw attention to the theme
"Young road users, including young drivers" to
spur governments and civil society
organizations into action: to raise
awareness about the impact of road
traffic injuries, particularly among
young road users; and to promote action
around the factors with greatest impact
on road traffic injuries i.e. seat
belts, speeding, helmets, road design
and infrastructure, and drink driving.
Key messages for the week
1
Road traffic injuries are a
major global public health and
development problem. Their
magnitude is expected to rise
considerably in the years ahead.
2
Road traffic injuries greatly
impact on young lives.
3
Road traffic injures can be
prevented.
4
Road safety is no accident.
5
International cooperation is
crucial to strengthening
national road safety efforts.
Too late to put
on your helmet
Most motorcycle deaths are a result of
head injuries. Wearing a motorcycle
helmet correctly can cut the risk of
death by almost 40%, and the risk of
severe injury by 70%.
Be part of the
solution:
Too late to be
seen
Pedestrians and cyclists can be
difficult to see on the roads, which
increases their risk of road traffic
injuries. Wearing lightly-coloured or
reflective clothing makes
them much more visible and
Too late to stop
drinking
Consuming alcohol before driving increases the
risk of a crash as well as the likelihood that
death or serious injury will result. Passing a
drink-driving law and enforcing it can reduce
the number of road deaths by 20%.
can help avoid collisions.
Be part of the
solution:
Be part of the
solution:
Too late to
fasten your seat-belt
Wearing a seat-belt reduces
the risk of being ejected from a vehicle
and suffering serious or fatal injury by
between 40%-65%
Be part of
the solution:
Tool
kit for organizers and events:
Arabic (pdf, 934 kb)
English
Tool
kit for organizers and events: 
