NGOs’ partnership aims for safer roads – which means safer children

Published on 25-04-2024 at 09:00

Image: https://www.roadsafetyngos.org/

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance), supported by the FIA Foundation charity, has launched a new partnership to advocate for 30 km/h streets.

This new alliance is looking to push forward the implementation of life-saving road safety interventions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America through practical advocacy tools designed for non-government organisations (NGOs) that can be replicated in different countries and settings.

Seven NGO members of the Alliance will pioneer the Alliance Accountability Toolkit designed to influence their governments to implement 30 km/h zones which more and more cities worldwide are implementing.

The Toolkit was launched in 2023 to generate stronger government accountability for road safety. It offers tangible steps, with each step accompanied with a tool to equip NGOs to advocate to the government and follow through on their responsibility to provide a safe road system for all road users. NGOs’ experiences using the tools will be captured in order to evaluate how they can be used most effectively and rolled out more widely.

‘Significant benefits’

The NGOs will focus on implementing 30 km/h zones because they are well-proven to reduce occurrences and severity of road crashes, especially for child pedestrians and cyclists. Low-speed streets of 30 km/h zones are known to be safer for children, and also promote walking, cycling, public transportation, and more vibrant and livable cities. Implementing 30 km/h zones has demonstrated significant benefits in various cities worldwide, leading to a decrease in road traffic injuries and fatalities by as much as 67 per cent.

Lotte Brondum, Executive Director of the Alliance, said: “NGOs play a critical role in advocating for life-saving road safety measures. The Alliance Accountability Toolkit is one of the ways that the Alliance equips NGOs to effectively advocate for the implementation of 30 km/h zones which helps to save lives. We thank the FIA Foundation for the partnership to strengthen advocacy for evidence-based action.”

The FIA is an international charity whose objective is to help deliver safe and healthy journeys for everyone whether, in their words, ‘it is the daily walk to school or the final lap of a Grand Prix’. Programmes Director Aggie Krasnolucka said the 30 km/h limits ‘help achieve the ambitious targets of the United Nations’ Global Goals in the area of road traffic injury by saving lives and making cities safer and more livable’.

“Our commitment to making a difference on the ground is evident in supporting implementation of life-saving programs, aligning with our vision for safe and healthy journeys for all,” she added.

Last year the Alliance, together with the International Road Federation, launched the LEARN Guide, a new resource of information and support aimed at supporting road safety advocates across the world.

This LEARN (Learn, Examine, Act, Replicate, Network) programme was successfully trialled in six African countries, Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, bringing together government and municipal leaders, NGOs and other key stakeholders.

Structured in six straightforward steps, coupled with templates and advice, the main objective of LEARN is to enhance road safety data collection and management in African countries and to contribute toward halving the estimated 744 deaths resulting from road crashes on African roads every day according to the World Health Organisation.