2nd UN Global Road Safety Week

2nd UN Global Road Safety Week

6-12 May 2013

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2013: Pedestrian safety

The Second UN Global Road Safety Week was held on 6-12 May 2013 and was dedicated to pedestrian safety. The Week drew attention to the urgent need to better protect pedestrians worldwide and generate action on the measures needed to do so. More than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world's roads each year accounting for 22% of the total 1.24 million road traffic deaths. The World Health Organization called on governments to take concrete actions to improve the safety of pedestrians. 

Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users. Studies indicate that males, both children and adults, make up a high proportion of pedestrian deaths and injuries. In developed countries, older pedestrians are more at risk, while in low- and middle-income countries, children and young adults are often affected. Both children and adults with disabilities suffer higher rates of injury as pedestrians compared to their non-disabled peers.

 

 

 

The Long Short Walk

The Long Short Walk was a global campaign advocating for safe roads for all, coinciding with the 2nd UN Global Road Safety Week. It was initiated by the Zenani Mandela Campaign and the Road Safety Fund, which aimed to capture "short walks" in communities and collect these captures from around the world and combine it into one "long walk".

To advocate for pedestrian safety, people from around the world called for road safety to be included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which were successfully achieved in 2015. The Long Short Walk campaigned for the rights of pedestrians and children on the road to be recognized and urged greater investment in safe footpaths, cycle-ways and crossing points, on streets with lower speed limits, especially around schools.

Thousands of people from around the world took photos with the Long Short Walk signboard during their every day walks.

Make Walking Safe

We are all pedestrians: on any given day - at a minimum - we begin and end most trips on foot. Yet, due to a lack of attention to the needs of the pedestrians, and a tendency to favour motorized transport, pedestrians are at risk of death, injury and disability. In fact, more than 270 000 lose their lives on the roads each year.

While there is no single measure to adequately address the range of risks to pedestrians across various settings, there are many steps that can be taken to improve their safety.

 

Pedestrian safety: good practice manual

This manual equips the reader with necessary information on:

  • The magnitude of pedestrian death and injury;
  • Key risk factors;
  • How to assess the pedestrian safety situation in a country or area and prepare an action plan;
  • How to select, design, implement and evaluate effective interventions.
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