[sustran] FW: WHO report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention

[Barter, Paul]

-----Original Message-----
From: Rural transport and development mailing list
[mailto:RURAL-TRANSPORT-DEVELOPMENT at JISCMAIL.AC.UK] On Behalf Of
Priyanthi Fernando
Sent: Tuesday, 13 April 2004 8:45 PM
To: RURAL-TRANSPORT-DEVELOPMENT at JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: WHO report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention


Dear colleagues

The WHO has just put out its World Report on Road Traffic Injury
Prevention (see links at the end of this email).  I have just skimmed
the introductory chapters.  The statistics speak for themselves - 1.2
million people killed per year begs that resources are channelled to a
War Against Traffic Accidents!

At the IFRTD Executive Committee meeting in November 2003 we
had a considered discussion on road safety.   It would seem to me
that road traffic injuries are correlated with  the increase in high
speed road networks and increased motorisation.  The 'vulnerable road
users' (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists - and perhaps other
non-motorised transport users ) are the most at risk but perhaps also
the least likely to benefit from motorisation and highways. So, from the
perspective of reducing vulnerability of poor people, do we not also
need a road traffic injury prevention strategy that questions the
dominant paradigm of high speed motorisation?

The following xtract from a contribution to the sustran email network
shows that the World Bank (a co-author with WHO of the publication)
finds it difficult to 'walk the talk':

"  Providing uninterrupted speed to vehicles results in higher accidents
yet the authorites plan for super highways within cities and expressways
cutting through rural areas..... The World Bank bemoans high road
accident rate in Mumbai, a city of  12 million plus residents yet has
extended liberal loan for Mumbai Urban Transport Project. in which
construction of expressways and flyovers predominate. Now six lane
carriageways are increased to eight with no pavements.  The Bank further
records that pedestrians form  95% of accident victims and turned down
citizen request for construction of pavements.  Is this how the poverty
is reduced........ "

I hope this will spark some discussion on this issue of road safety...

Priyanthi Fernando
IFRTD


LINKS

To download the report:

http://www.who.int/world-health- day/2004/infomaterials/world_report/en/

Developing country organisations can order a hard copy from the WHO
bookshop for 15 Swiss francs which is about 13.50 USD

http://www.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan
=1&codcol=15&codcch=572


Priyanthi Fernando
Executive Secretary, IFRTD
113-114Spitfire Studios,
 63-71 Collier Street
London N1 9BE. United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7713 6699
Fax: +44 20 7713 8290
Email:  priyanthi.fernando at ifrtd.org OR ifrtd at ifrtd.org
Web: www.ifrtd.org

IFRTD provides a framework for collaboration between individuals and
organisations interested in issues of access & mobility as they affect
the lives of rural people in developing countries.