Global Road Safety: Legal Framework Exists, Implementation and Infrastructure Lag Behind

The World Health Organization's 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety shows once again that traffic crashes are not just about numbers; there is a very clear "system problem" behind them. The third section of the report explains how we can reduce the risk of death and injury through infrastructure, vehicle safety, legislation, and user behaviors.

Multimodal Transport: We Are Forgetting Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Public Transport Users

It is projected that approximately 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2030. This means the demand for urban mobility will increase exponentially. However, even today, approximately 80% of surveyed roads do not meet the "minimum 3-star" standard for pedestrian safety; only 0.2% of roads have cycle lanes.

In a survey conducted in 48 countries, the vast majority of people identify themselves as pedestrians and public transport users; despite this, policies and investments still heavily favor motor vehicles. While we talk about the physical/mental health benefits of walking and cycling on one hand, we are not creating safe spaces for these users on the other.

We must design our cities not based on the "right of the automobile," but on the "right to life" of pedestrians and cyclists.

Safe Infrastructure: Most Roads Are Not Even 3 Stars

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) rates roads between 0 and 5 stars. The results for 500,000 km of paved roads assessed globally are striking:

• Only 21% of roads for pedestrians and motorized two/three-wheelers,

• 23% for cyclists,

• 40% for vehicle occupants have a safety level of 3 stars or higher.

This means the majority of every 10 journeys made in the world take place on roads designed as "unforgiving." Conversely, only 35 countries actually have legislation mandating regular safety audits or assessments for existing roads.

Vehicle Safety: 79 Countries Lack Even Basic Standards

The global motor vehicle fleet is set to double by 2030. Despite this, in many countries, new vehicles entering traffic do not even meet minimum safety standards.

National laws exist in only:

• 52 countries for front/side impact protection,

• 88 countries for seat belt anchorages,

• 49 countries for electronic stability control,

• 44 countries for pedestrian protection,

• 56 countries for braking systems.

UN Conventions: Potential Remaining on Paper

The UN's core conventions, such as ADR, the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, and AETR, offer countries a strong legal framework. To date, 120 countries are party to at least one of the UN road traffic safety standards. However, very few countries have been able to fully transpose these conventions into their national legislation.

This shows us: Being a party to a convention is not enough; unless implementation, enforcement, and accountability mechanisms are established, "safety on paper" does not reflect in real life.

ONE UN VISION FOR ROAD SAFETY

Final Word: Numbers Guide the Way, Cultural Change Completes the Mission

The WHO Global Status Report clearly shows exactly where we are lacking, country by country and topic by topic. However, real change is only possible when everyone—from road designers to fleet managers, from mayors to professional drivers—embraces the safe system approach.

We must read this data not merely as lines in a report, but as: "A list of system failures that caused crashes where no one should have died."