UNHCR in campaign to cut global road death toll from one every 30 seconds

GENEVA, June 10 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency, which every day has vehicles plying some of world's most dangerous roads, on Wednesday launched an organization-wide campaign on safe road use as part of a UN effort to cut the number of road deaths each year from 1.24 million -- one fatality every 30 seconds

The Safe Road Use Campaign, which forms part of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, heralds the start of a long-term strategic effort to reduce the number and impact of road crashes involving UNHCR staff and other people working with them.

Last year, 15 people - including persons of concern to UNHCR - lost their lives due to road crashes in which the organization's vehicles were involved. Staff safety and security are a top priority in UNHCR.

"Many people forget that some of the biggest risks to staff safety faced every day are road crashes. This is a personal as well as a professional issue… Every day staff undertake long, difficult and dangerous journeys in complex situations," Terry Morel of the Division of Emergency, Security and Supply told the official launch ceremony.

Globally, road crashes constitute the eighth biggest cause of death and are the leading killer of 15-29 year olds. Half of those killed are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. In addition to those killed, 50 million others are injured on the roads each year.

The campaign will comprise workshops and material for all offices to raise awareness on safe road use and to develop specific steps to make a change in their own operations. These will be complemented with organization-wide activities to imbed safe road use firmly in our planning and implementation.

The campaign states: "UNHCR welcomes the UN Decade of Road Safety and promotes safe driving and road use by all. We strive to achieve zero road fatalities and injuries among our staff and partners and all other road users."

Improving road safety requires a change in behaviour, based on a recognition of individual responsibility. As the Campaign motto notes: "Their lives. Your life. It's in your hands."

Jean Todt, president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, praised UNHCR for taking the campaign into the workplace.

"The zero goal may seem ambitious but with real action it can be achieved," Todt, who is also the UN special envoy on road safety, told the launch ceremony.

Todt said road accidents cost some $500 billion a year, according to World Health Organization figures, with developing nations bearing the brunt of the cost and highest number of deaths.

During the first year of the campaign, UNHCR will provide additional support to a number of focus countries across the world: Colombia, Republic of Congo, Jordan, Kosovo and Uganda.