Leaders in road safety from 70 countries gathered this morning ahead of the FIA Mobility Conference 2015 for the first global conference focused on eliminating risky road infrastructure.

Organised by EuroRap (the European Road Assessment Programme) the conference presented measurements of widely varying road infrastructure from 70 countries and outlined its aim to win commitments to raise safety standards to 3-star or better.

Opening the event, Lord Robertson, the former NATO Secretary General and Trustee of the FIA Foundation, told ministers, bank representatives, engineers and NGOs that 3 stars is a minimum that must be pursued.

“Known high risks exist on major roads in all countries,” he said. “Simple treatments can eliminate high risk 1- and 2-star roads. Children should not walk to school on busy roads without footpaths and safe crossings; traffic should not pass through villages at high speed; flawed junctions and inadequate roadside safety zones need upgrading.”

FIA President Jean Todt said the star ratings, which include data on infrastructure such as footpaths, crossings, road markings and junctions, reveal the scale of the road safety challenge being faced in many regions.

“The Star Rating results tell us which elements of the road environment will save the most lives for the money available. Often casualty reductions could be by a third or even half across the network.

“This is the order of magnitude of injury prevention we need to see if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals targets that have been set for road safety. We will not achieve these new targets if we continue with business as usual.

“In my role as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety and FIA President I will do all I can to support this agenda of safer road infrastructure.”