The Inter-American Development Bank assigns high priority to this problem and consequently has launched its road safety strategy which aspires to minimize human, social and economic losses resulting from inadequate road safety practices. The strategy is directed at providing support to member countries in the development and execution of plans and actions that strengthen road safety. The Bank is promoting initiatives that encourage coordinated policies and programs that incentivize the participation of all sectors, to prevent and reduce road fatalities and injuries within the region.

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly issued resolution 72/271 “Improving global road safety”, which established the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), with a view to joining forces and consolidating action to achieve safe mobility targets. The fund aims to finance high-impact projects to increase road safety, with the ultimate goal of mitigating and, ideally, eliminating road traffic injuries. To achieve its objective, the Fund conducts a meticulous selection process that prioritizes broad participation by actors including government, civil society and the private sector, always under the management and guidance of the United Nations Focal Points set up by UNRSF. The projects that are prioritized support countries in their activities to achieve the road safety objectives defined in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, and also in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, UNRSF financed the implementation of a project titled “Strengthening road traffic enforcement in the State of Pará in Brazil”, managed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and implemented with support from the Traffic Department of the State of Pará. The project has enabled Pará State to expand the training of traffic agents and thus strengthen enforcement actions and interventions on the roads, all with the ultimate goal of reducing deaths and injuries in traffic accidents. This issue of FAL Bulletin shows how the adoption of appropriate road safety measures has not only contributed to reducing the number of traffic-accident fatalities and injuries in the Brazilian State of Pará, but has also become a road safety benchmark for other entities and countries. It is also worth noting the leading role played by the approach to road safety in Australia, as a guide and key to the successful implementation of the project in Brazil.

TRB, the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have released TRB Special Report 287, Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a workshop held on January 26-27, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The workshop focused on the sharp increases in road traffic-related deaths and injuries in developing countries with a goal of providing a view of the diversity of U.S. interests, the scope of activities of U.S. agencies addressing this problem, and prospects for further U.S. engagement. The workshop discussions were intended to help the responsible government agencies gauge whether the U.S. response is proportional to the interests at stake and to identify next steps toward a more effective response. PGA and IOM, like TRB, are part of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.

The book explodes the myths that currently drive society's view of traffic safety and limit progress in reducing death and serious injury. It presents current scientific knowledge in a non-technical way and draws parallels with other areas of public safety and public health. It uses examples from the media and from public policy debates to paint a clear picture of a flawed public policy approach and offers preventive medicine principles to take the field forward.

The Global status report on road safety 2023 shows that the number of annual road traffic deaths has fallen slightly to 1.19 million. The report shows that efforts to improve road safety are having an impact, and that significant reductions in road traffic deaths can be made if proven measures are applied. Despite this, the price paid for mobility remains too high. Road traffic injuries remain the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years. More than half of fatalities occur among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, in particular those living in low and middle-income countries. Urgent action is needed if the global goal of at least halving road traffic deaths and injuries by the year 2030 is to be achieved.

""This 2019 edition of the Regional Road Safety report presents the latest available data covering a range of road safety issues. Key data from WHO's global report informs the comprehensive survey results gathered from 30 of the 35 countries of the Americas. The results indicate that current trends will prohibit the Region from meeting the SDG target to halve the number of road deaths. To reduce road traffic injuries and meet the global goals, road safety must be prioritized as a key policy issue in each country of the Americas, as road traffic deaths in the Region account for 11% of global ro.

Every day thousands of people are killed and injured on our roads. Millions of people each year will spend long weeks in the hospital after severe crashes and many will never be able to live, work or play as they used to do. Current efforts to address road safety are minimal in comparison to this growing human suffering. This report presents a comprehensive overview of what is known about the magnitude, risk factors and impact of road traffic injuries, and about ways to prevent and lessen the impact of road crashes. Over 100 experts, from all continents and different sectors -- including transport, engineering, health, police, education and civil society -- have worked to produce the report. Charts and tables.