UN chief urges stronger road-safety policies after 1.16 million deaths

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged governments to strengthen road-safety policies and enforcement, warning that 1.16 million people were killed in road crashes last year and millions more suffered debilitating injuries.

In a message for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, observed on 15 November, Guterres said crashes remain the leading cause of death for people aged five to 29. More than 90 per cent of road deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, he said.

The UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety aims to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030. Guterres said the global road-traffic death rate had fallen by 21 per cent, but that stronger policies and better enforcement were still needed.

He called for improvements to infrastructure, changes in behaviour, stronger support for victims and the use of new technologies. The UN supports countries through its road-safety conventions, the UN Road Safety Fund and the Special Envoy for Road Safety.