In particular, the FIA American Congress stressed the importance of using evidence-based tools for measuring, managing and communicating road safety risks.

The World Health Organization released on 28 October the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 aiming at guiding countries and other key stakeholders to develop, implement and evaluate actions to improve safe mobility over the next decade.

This Global Plan marks a significant milestone as it creates a framework giving directions to achieve the goal of halving road fatalities and injuries by 2030.

The FIA welcomes the explicit reference to a new road safety culture at the centre of the strategic vision for the new Decade. This new approach is rooted in the idea that safety needs to be the core value of the mobility system, ahead of other considerations such as efficiency, speed, costs, aesthetics or personal preference.

The FIA Road Safety Advocacy Strategy, which sets out the strategic framework for the FIA to work together with its Member Organisations in order to promote a global culture of safe mobility, already incorporates many recommendations included in the Global Plan.

More specifically, the FIA and its network of Member Clubs are working with governments and stakeholders in key areas highlighted in the Plan:

• Promote and advance a culture of safety and ensure it is embedded along the entire value chain of the mobility system, from the design and production of vehicles and road infrastructure to the delivery of mobility services and everything in between;
• Facilitate the deployment of motorcycle helmets which meet minimum safety standards;
• Set up a high-quality standard for new and used vehicles, including those exported to low- and middle-income countries, and work with regional NCAPs to build demand for safer cars in the relevant markets;
• Work with local stakeholders, using evidence-based tools for measuring, managing, and communicating the risk children face on their journey to school;
• Engage with the private sector by developing an FIA Road Safety Index to measure road safety credentials of large corporations and designing a platform to facilitate fundraising for road safety;
• Strengthen collaboration with international organisations to make liability insurance mandatory for all vehicles in low- and middle-income countries.

FIA President Jean Todt, who also serves as United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, said: “The Global Plan offers a framework of actions needed for countries and cities to reach our target to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030. The Global Plan advocates for making the entire transport system safe, affordable, sustainable, and accessible to all. As we start the new Decade, I call on all governments and their partners to do more to save lives on the world’s roads. My hope is that we convene at the High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly in July of next year with plenty of good news to share. And most importantly, with concrete commitments for action.”