The UN Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 includes a series of proposals to reduce the accident rate and injuries in traffic accidents by at least 50%.
A comprehensive plan of action to reduce road accidents and injuries; this is what the United Nations (UN) with the aim of making users, public bodies and private companies aware that it is necessary to tackle a pandemic that takes millions of lives each year.
And, according to the UN report, worldwide traffic accidents cause almost 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries each year, making it the leading cause of death for children and youth around the world.
“These unacceptable numbers have remained virtually unchanged for the last 20 years”
If this situation continues, the UN estimates that “other 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries over the next decade, hampering sustainable development, especially in low- and middle-income countries. ‘
«These unacceptable numbers, both in absolute and relative terms, remained virtually unchanged over the past 20 years, despite the hard work of the United Nations and other road safety agencies “, acknowledges the international body.
Ambitious goals, long-term measures
The plan details a series of objectives and recommendations that contribute to achieving them, placing special emphasis on improving infrastructures and roads, encouraging administrations not to place all responsibility solely on the user.
In addition, the UN proposes a series of measures that include a rational review of speed limits Depending on the characteristics of the road, adapt these to different users (bicycles, scooters, pedestrians, etc.), improve the safety and efficiency of public transport or implement advanced security systems in vehicles, as well as periodic and continuous control the capabilities of drivers and their means of transport.
Thus, the report establishes as main objectives the following:
- Reduce deaths and injuries in traffic accidents by at least 50% between 2021 and 2030
- Anticipate and accommodate human errors.
- Incorporate road and vehicle designs that limit crashes to levels that are within human tolerance to avoid death or serious injury.
- Motivate those who design and maintain roads, build vehicles, and manage safety programs to share responsibility for safety with road users, so that when an accident occurs, the entire system is analyzed, rather than just blaming the driver or other road users.
- Pursuing a commitment to proactively and continuously improving roads and vehicles so that the entire system is safe rather than just locations or situations where crashes last occurred.
- Adhering to the underlying premise that the transportation system should produce zero fatalities or serious injuries and that safety should not be compromised for the sake of other factors such as cost or the desire to reduce transportation times.
Similarly, the main recommendations for administrations, manufacturers and other sectors involved (many of them already active in Spain), are:
Recommended actions for promote multimodal transport and land use planning
- Implement policies that promote compact urban design.
- Implement policies that reduce speeds and prioritize the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation users.
- Promote transit-oriented development to concentrate urban and commercial developments around high-traffic nodes
- Strategically locate, where possible, public, subsidized, and workforce housing to provide convenient access to high-capacity transit services.
- Discourage the use of private vehicles in high-density urban areas by imposing restrictions on users of motor vehicles, vehicles and road infrastructure, and providing alternatives that are accessible, safe and easy to use, such as walking, biking, buses and trams .
- Provide intermodal connectivity between transit and bike-sharing schemes at major transit stops and create transportation connections for cyclists and pedestrians that reduce overall travel time.
- Build (or rebuild) existing transportation networks to ensure that non-motorized modes of travel are as safe as motorized ones and, most importantly, that they meet the travel needs of all ages and abilities
- Promote positive marketing and the use of incentives such as cost sharing for public transportation subscriptions.
Recommended actions for improve road infrastructure safety
- Develop functional classifications and desired safety performance standards for each group of road users in the geographic land use and level of the road corridor.
- Review and update local legislation and design standards that take into account the operation of the road and the needs of all road users and for specific areas.
- Specify a technical standard and a star rating target for all designs linked to each road user, and the safety performance standard at that location.
- Implement infrastructure treatments that ensure logical and intuitive compliance with the desired speed in the environment (for example, urban environments at 30 km / h; ≤ 80 km / h undivided rural roads; 100 km / h on motorways).
- Carry out road safety audits on all new road sections and comprehensive assessments using independent and accredited experts to ensure a minimum standard of three stars or better for all road users.
- Carry out accident risk mapping (where accident data is reliable), proactive safety assessments and inspections on the target network with a focus on the relevant needs of road users, as appropriate.
- Establish a performance objective for each road user based on inspection results with clear and measurable metrics at the road attribute level (for example, provision of sidewalks).
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Recommended actions for ensure vehicle safety
- Require high quality harmonized safety standards for new and used motor vehicles, seat belts and child restraint systems, as well as motorcycle helmets and systems, including:
- frontal and side impact regulations to ensure occupants are protected in a frontal and side impact collision.
- seat belts and seat belt anchor for all seats to ensure seat belts are installed in vehicles when manufactured and assembled.
- ISOFIX safety anchor points to secure child restraint systems connected directly to the vehicle frame to prevent misuse.
- electronic stability control to avoid skidding and loss of control in cases of oversteer or understeer.
- advanced emergency braking to reduce collisions.
- pedestrian protection standards to reduce the severity of the impact with a motor vehicle.
- certified motorcycle helmets in accordance with harmonized international standards.
- anti-lock braking system and daytime running lights for motorcycles.
- intelligent speed assistance systems to help drivers stay within speed limits.
- eCall or Accident Emergency Call Systems (AECS) to trigger an emergency response via a sensor in the vehicle.
- Ensuring that high quality and harmonized safety standards are maintained throughout the life cycle of the vehicle. This can be done, for example, through:
- Mandatory certification and registration systems for new and used vehicles based on established safety requirements and combined with routine inspections.
- regulations for the export and import of used vehicles that are accompanied by inspections at the entrance and exit and mandatory periodic technical inspection of vehicles.
- Foster demand for safer vehicles by promoting independent new vehicle evaluation programs.
Recommended actions to ensure safe road use
- Enact and enforce road safety legislation:
- set maximum speed limits taking into account the type and function of the roads.
- establish blood alcohol concentration limits to prevent drunk driving with specific provisions for novice and professional drivers.
- require the use of protective equipment (seat belts, child restraint systems and helmets).
- restrict the use of portable electronic devices while driving.
- establish a dedicated enforcement agency, provide training, and ensure adequate equipment for the execution of occupations.
- Establish traffic rules and license requirements:
- establish and periodically update traffic regulations and codes of conduct for road users.
- provide information and education on traffic rules.
- establish minimum age and vision requirements for drivers.
- implement competency-based testing for driver licensing and adoption of graduated driver’s licenses for novice drivers.
- set limits for maximum driving time and minimum rest periods for professional drivers.
- make liability insurance mandatory for motor vehicle operators.
- Ensure that road infrastructure takes into account the needs of all road users and is designed to facilitate safety:
- clear road marking and intuitive road markings.
- use of roundabouts and traffic calming designs, such as speed bumps;
- physical separation of road users, including the use of protected bike lanes and pedestrian-only areas.
- Use vehicle safety features and technologies to support safe behaviors:
- automatic seat belts and seat belt alerts.
- smart speed assist.
- technologies to disable texting and other forms of distraction while driving.