Launched in May 2011, the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety is a decade long movement which aims to raise awareness of the issue of road saftey on a global scale. The decade aims to facilitate changes in policy and encourage action by a variety of stakeholders to reduce the economic and social impacts of road crashes.
Globally, nearly 1.3 million people are killed each year in road accidents of which 90% occurs within the developing world. By 2015, road crashed are predicted to by the leading cause of death in developing countries of children over the age of 5. The economic and social impacts of road accidents are gye. It is estimated that the cost globally of road accidents is $500 billion, placing a huge burden on hospitals, particularly in developing countries where medical resources are often limited. In light of such figures, the need for global action to increase road safety is essential.
Transaid is committed to helping to increase road safety through its Professional Driver Training Project, which is a key area of Transaid's work. Through sharing best practise from the European transport and logistics industry, Transaid is improving the standards of driving amongst commercial drivers throughout the developing world, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to use the roads safely. In addition, by providing professional skills training for local trainers knowledge can be dessiminated efficiently within developing countries.
Working with local government and national government departments, Transaid also specialise in fleet and effective vehicle management. By working in this area, Transaid is able to help improve service provision and vehicle maintainence. Well-maintained vehicles are more reliable which increases road safety for all road users.
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