Mobility is at a crossroads. At its best, mobility can help drive positive social change in many areas of society, promoting secure and equal access to employment, education and health and impacting
favourably on several of the broader Sustainable Development Goals. The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week, to be held 15-21 May 2023, will draw attention to the desperate need for governments and their partners to rethink – and redo – mobility. This includes increasing investments in walking, cycling and using public transport, modes that can contribute to making people healthy, cities sustainable, and societies equitable.
In line with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030, safety must be at the core of efforts to reimagine how we move in the world. Worldwide, the number of road traffic deaths remains around 1.3 million per year with as many as 50 million people injured. Road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years. A prerequisite to rethinking mobility is to ensure that roads are safe for all who use them, especially those most at risk: children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport.
The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week offers an opportunity to spur action at national and local levels, highlighting concrete and specific actions that can be taken by different stakeholders, including governments, civil society, businesses, schools, etc., to promote and facilitate a shift to safe, healthy, green and sustainable modes of transport. From free public transport days to pop up bicycle lanes, walkability/cyclability studies, travel diaries and walk to school days, among many others, these activities will help to showcase how we can collectively rethink mobility.
RELATED LINKS
7th UN Global Road Safety Week
https://www.who.int/campaigns/un-global-road-safety-week/2023/
7th UN Global Road Safety Week: logo and social media assets
https://who.canto.global/b/L6BF8
Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030