Sustainable Development Goal unlikely to be achieved.

Despite the strongest ever UN mandate for action on road safety the Sustainable Development Goal to halve road injury casualties worldwide is unlikely to be achieved by the target date of 2020.

Recognising the challenges of casualty reduction and identifying an action plan beyond 2020 were the key issues raised by Towards Zero Foundation Senior Fellow David Ward speaking at the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) chaired by Barry Sheerman MP in London.

“It is clear that the SDG target is unlikely to be achieved by 2020. Progress has at best flat lined, and too few countries apply effective road safety policies and legislation for the main behavioural risk factors or apply minimum standards for vehicle and road construction. Best practice in road injury prevention remains concentrated in high income countries.”

The recently launched Manifesto #4RoadSafety proposes ten recommendations for parliamentarians worldwide in support of the road safety SDGs. It also endorses the WHO Save Lives package, the Safe Systems approach, and promotes occupational road safety, good governance in road injury prevention, funding for road safety, and further mainstreaming of road safety best practices by the Multilateral Development Banks.

Recognising the challenges of the 2020 target, the manifesto proposes the adoption of a new post 2020 target to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

David Ward concluded:

“The Manifesto #4RoadSafety offers an opportunity to refocus the objectives of the SDGs with a realistic new deadline and the road map to do so. It is particularly important to support and empower legislators as they will be critical actors especially in low and middle income countries. The Towards Zero Foundation is proud to have helped develop and support this initiative in consultation with the WHO and parliamentarians worldwide.”

Click here for a copy of the presentation given today.