As you would have seen on the YOURS website, we have been involved in the push to include road safety targets in the forthcoming Sustainable Development Agenda Post 2015. Along with our Global Youth Network for Road Safety we have been at the forefront of advocating for road safety targets to be included from a youth perspective in the UN's youth calls for input. We are very happy to announce that road safety targets have been included in the final text of the new Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN member states in New York!
Read moreOur regular columnist Mr Brian Bilal Mwebaze is back with his regular column. This time he's talking about the milestones that have influenced change in Africa while focusing on the things that still require immediate attention. His column is challenging the current status quo not mainstreaming youth in road safety decisions and calls upon all to do so.
Read moreAlongside the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and the global momentum of the #SaveKidsLives campaign, YOURS has been involved in an advocacy push calling for selected permanent missions to keep in the specific road safety targets mentioned in the Sustainable Development Agenda. Alongside this, we have called on global leaders to be involved in the Brasilia conference in November and bring a youth delegation with them. The advocacy push has been lead by Mr Aakash Shah, YOURS' Ambassador for the Post 2015 Development Agenda.
Read moreNot so long ago, we met with road safety campaigner and beauty blogger Jordan Bone who travels around the UK telling her story of 'Remembering to think twice'. When she was 15, Jordan was involved in a road traffic crash that left her paralysed. Turning her life around, Jordan's fashion blog has lifted off globally and along with it, her message for road safety.
Read moreHighway agencies are increasingly using humor and wit to try to get people to drive safer but do the messages work? We've covered the topic of jokes and comedy in road safety before. In some parts of the world, a humor filled message is said to be effective at getting driving to comply with road safety.
Read moreAccording to a new poll by Gallup, an American research company, only 30% of Americans believe that legalised use of marijuana will make drivers 'a lot less safe'. Some U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational and medicinal use which could see the rise of drug driving incidents increase. We give you the low down on drug driving.
Read moreAs you will know, we have been big supporters of the #SaveKidsLives campaign and have helped with its implementation over the past year. We are delighted to announce that the global community has really gotten behind the campaign and pushed the signature counter beyond half a million signatures! The campaign is to continue all the way up to the 2nd Global High Level Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil where the signatures and support will illustrate people's call to action. We are calling for road safety for all!
Read moreOur Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Region, Mr Erland George from Saint Lucia has been on the hunt for National Road Safety Champions in the Caribbean Region. Having already recruited champions in Guyana, Barbados, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia, Erland is now looking for champions in the rest of the region. Apply now to be part of this unique opportunity.
Read moreRoad safety campaigners are calling for a ban on the use of wearable technology, including smartwatches, by drivers. Smartwatches from high-tech giants Samsung, Sony, Motorola and LG - which can be used for calls, texts and calendar notifications - are for sale in New Zealand. Apple is releasing its Apple Watch here later this year. Laws banning drivers' use of phones - with an $80 fine and 20 demerit points - do not cover the use of wearable technology. Caroline Perry, of road safety charity Brake, said the law should be widened, stating motorists using smart technology on their watches while driving should face the same sanctions.
Read moreAs you will know, we are quite active on the Twittersphere and every so often, a Tweet comes along that has some awesome road safety targeted messages. This time, the campaign we are featuring comes from the UK and the West Midlands Road Safety Partnership. Three videos take a funny twist on a serious issue; wreckless and somewhat 'childish' behaviours on the road. As young people, sensation seeking behaviour or driving while distracted is not clever or funny and most people see it in a very annoying light.
Read moreBrian is back with his regular monthly column on all things road safety in Africa, especially youth issues! This month he reflects on a personal experience of a road crash, with a boda boda driver. A scary experience that illustrated his experience in handling first aid situations as well as a reflection on what could change to stop dangrous road behaviours.
Read moreFUNDACIÓN MAPFRE has announced its 2014 Social Awards. These international prizes recognize people and institutions that have made outstanding contributions for the benefit of society. This year there were over 450 nominations. The Jury selected YOURS unique Capacity Development Programme as the Best Road Safety initiative in 2014. The Award comes with a grant of 30,000 euros. Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain chaired the Award Ceremony on the 18th of June at the prestigious Casino of Madrid.
Read moreEverybody at YOURS is incredibly excited to announce that our Capacity Development Programme can now be termed 'award winning' as the Fundación MAPFRE award us the Best Road Prevention and Safety Initiative. We are very happy to have our programme recognized and share this news with you all.
Read moreThe YOURS Training of Faciliators in Belize in well into the second week of training workshops as young Belizean leaders prepare to slip into their roles as Faciliators of Youth and Road Safety Workshops. After a week of theory based training through a highly interactive and a selection of participatory workshops, the youth approach the ending of their training programme and will end by runing pilot workshops with youth from across the country.
Read moreIn partnership with the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Development Bank, YOURS returns to Belize to train a second cadre of young faciltators specially selected from Belize's talented youth leaders. The training will train more than 16 youth to support the previous 20 trained last year to reach over 2,000 young Belizeans on road safety issues all aropund the country.
Read moreBran is back with his monthly column straight after appointing the National Youth Champions for Road Safety in Anglophone Africa. He's back to reflect on his YOURS involvement in adolescent health consultations championed by the WHO in Johannesburg, South Africa. He offers some insights on the process in the mean time!
Read moreLast week, YOURS was invited by the World Health Organization's Adolescent Health Department to discuss a broad range of health issues facing youth. As part of a consultation on determinants for adolescent health, YOURS joined a range of youth leaders from sexual and reproductive health to substance abuse. The WHO consultation served as a consultation on the forthcoming report on Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health as well as a youth scorecard on health determinants.
Read moreAs you will know by now, the Third UN Global Road Safety kicks off this Sunday 4th May taking us up to 10th May for a full week of road safety action and awareness raising. The theme for this week is children and road safety with the flagship campaign #SaveKidsLives. If you haven't taken part already, make the week a chance to get as many signatures for the campaign and take a stand for road safety, there was never a better opportunity!
Read moreExciting news comes from Brazil as Michelin and Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) supports the #SaveKidsLives Campaign and place it within a footballing context for mass support. The collaboration aims to bring in 100,000 Brazilian signatures in support of the Child Declaration for road safety, which will be delivered to the Brazilian government.
Read moreOur Regional Cooridnator for Anglohpone Africa, Mr Brian Bilal Mwebaze has been incredibly busy recruiting National Youth Champions for Road Safety in 14 countries across Africa. These champions help us to be even closer to youth on the ground as well as build on our team capacity. We welcome fifteen youth to the YOURS roster joining the CORE Group, Ambassadors and YOURS Staff to tackle the road safety crisis facing youth.
Read more