Summit on road safety opens in Moscow

Action taken by worldwide governments tomorrow could save the lives of five million drivers on the world’s roads.

The first ever Global Ministerial Summit on Road Safety will take place in Moscow with delegates being urged to agree on plans for a decade of action, focussing on reducing the predicted number of road fatality deaths by 50 per cent by the year 2020.

It would mean the amount of those killed on the world’s highways dropping from about 1.9 million a year by the end of next decade, to below one million each year.

The plan involves a 10-point scheme utilising political commitment, international donor support to assist help develop safer roads infrastructure, as well as sustained prioritisation of road injury prevention.  Together, it is estimated that the proposals could avoid five million road fatalities and 50 million serious injuries over the span of ten years.

President of AA Edmund King, who is attending the conference, said the stakes were high, and if we do not act, millions would die or be injured on the world’s roads.

He concluded by saying that a decade of action was crucial, and they would achieve nothing if the governments do not work together.  The UK has a relatively good road safety record, but it is vital that they we help the global, as well as local, efforts to reduce road carnage.