News & Blog

We welcome the Fourth United Nations Global Road Safety Week

Dignitaries from around the world including the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Margaret Chan have released video statements to mark the opening of the 4th United Nations Global Road Safety Week. The week takes place from 8-14 May 2017 under the theme of speed management. The key message orientates around the slogan; Save Lives: #SlowDown.

Fourth United Nations Global Road Safety Week kicks off in less than 2 weeks!

The Fourth United Nations Global Road Safety Week kicks in less than two weeks time from today! From 8-14 May 2017, campaigners, organizations, companies, governments and many more will encourage the world to #SlowDown. The Week is dedicated to speed management and we can all take steps to make our roads safer.

Are you the next Alliance Advocate? Applications now open!

The Alliance Empowerment Program selects Alliance Member participants to become Alliance Advocates. The first cohort underwent an intensive, tailored training program in August 2016 in Memphis, USA and now the Alliance is looking for the next cohort!

Brian's Column: The link between litter and road safety? An African example!

Observational writing is one of Brian's specialities. Our regular column observes the state of play in his home country of Uganda and all across Africa and writes about them in reflection, tongue-in-cheek and thought provoking ways. In this column, Brian explores the link between road safety and littering, a phenomena not so unique to Uganda but exists in unique ways.

Global Meeting focuses on halving road deaths by 2020

The biannual Fifth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Honorable Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister, Ministry of Transport Malaysia, officiated the Meeting’s opening on 5 April, followed by a press conference at the Sama-Sama Hotel.

Asian Development Bank & YOURS talk youth participation!

As part of the 5 th Global Meeting of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the second day of pre-meeting workshops took place on the 4 th April. For our second involvement in the workshops, we joined with the leaders of the workshop, the Asian Development Bank, to build capacity on youth participation in road safety.  The workshop heard multitude ideas of how youth can drive change for road safety across Asia and the world and encouraged ‘meaningful participation’ in road safety.

In what ways can road safety NGOs work with multi-lateral banks?

The Fifth Global Meeting of the Global Alliance of NGOS for road safety kicked off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 3 rd April 2017. As part of the Alliance’s continued empowerment efforts, a number of pre-meeting workshops were organized to give members unique insights into a range of road safety topics. One session that we participated in focused on how NGOs can engage with multi-lateral banks, to obtain support and buy in and partner with these financial institutions for development and social change in road safety.

MENTOR-VIP open for applications with World Health Organization

Applications for the 11th cycle of MENTOR-VIP are now open. This means individuals wishing to apply to be mentored during 2017-2018 may make their applications via our website (link given below) between now and May 5.

Teen app promotes road safety with rewards - with frisky adverts

Shotgun uses GPS to track each car journey you make for 1,000 miles. The app then scores the different elements of your driving and dishes out points based on your overall performance. Collecting these points unlocks different reward levels, earning you things like vouchers and free cinema tickets. You’ll also be given pointers along the way, giving you the tools to improve and win even more. You can even compare your score with friends on the leaderboard for extra bragging rights.

New UN Road Safety Week website goes live! Save Lives - #SlowDown

We have been working with the World Health Organization and the FIA Foundation to build a new platform for the United Nations Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW). The fourth week takes place on 8-14 May 2017 with the tag line Save Lives #SlowDown. The week focuses on speed management and encourages people to take the pledge to #SlowDown.

Brian's Column: Folks who overtake EVERYTHING on the road...why?

Our regular columnist, Brian Bilal Mwebaze from Uganda, Africa is back with a take on all this youth, road safety and Africa. This month, he places his eye on people who feel the need to overtake everything on the road. Those that need to get there quicker than anyone else and asks the question, "Why?". Check out his latest article.

Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety - Photo Contest for #SlowDown

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety is holding a photo contest for the Save Lives: #SlowDown campaig, the official campaign of the Fourth United Nations Road Safety week to encourage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world to take part. The Alliance will feature the best photos sent in on their social media during the next Alliance meeting. We encourage our youth network to also take part!

The benefits of less speed - NZTA's new advert explains all

This campaign puts a twist on previous campaigns which have focused on the consequences of more speed. This time it looks at the benefits of less speed . The big challenge in the area of speed is to get people to stop defending their perceived right to speed. As a contributing factor in 20% of all fatal and serious injury crashes, speed continues to be a serious issue on New Zealand roads. In 2015, 87 people were killed and 466 were seriously injured in speed-related crashes.

Video from Alliance Academy training is now live!

In September 2016, we helped deliver the Alliance Academy in Memphis, Tennessee at the headquarters of FedEx in USA. FedEx have produced a great video featuring highlights from the training and testimonials.

The role of youth in promoting the SDGs and their attainment - UN ECOSOC

The annual Youth Forum of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is a platform where young people can contribute to policy discussions at the United Nations through their collective ideas, solutions and innovations. The Forum allows representatives of youth-led and youth-focused organizations and networks, youth advocates and others to dialogue with Member States, and to explore ways and means of promoting youth development and engagement.

Reducing casualties involving young drivers and riders in Europe - a report

Young drivers and riders aged 15-25 are more likely to be killed on Europe’s roads than their older counterparts, despite continued improvements in road safety. Road collisions remain one of the highest external causes of death for young people. The risks are especially high for young males and for young riders.

Get ready for the 4th United Nations Global Road Safety Week

We all want to arrive safely at our destinations. By slowing down we make roads safer for our children, families and friends . The Fourth United Nations Global Road Safety Week will take place from 8-14th May 2017. We are getting ready for it now, join us!

Life and death on Thailand's lethal roads - A global feature

There is a ritual that is now very familiar to Thais, before the two big holiday seasons of the year, in late December for the new year, and in April for the Songkran Festival. The government will set a target for reducing fatalities on Thailand's notoriously dangerous roads, exhorting Thais not to speed, or drink and drive. Sometimes good citizens will run publicity stunts, like the coffin-maker, who last year invited journalists to film the huge stockpile his workers were building up for the holiday season. And every year these efforts fail.

Save the Date: Fifth Global Meeting - Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs

Distracted Driving: Simpler distractions can also be risky

Perhaps you’ve heard the claim that talking on the phone while driving is as risky as driving drunk. Indeed, a driving simulator study found “profound” impairments in both cellphone chatters and in people with a blood alcohol level of 0.08. But here’s the surprising thing: It doesn’t seem to make a difference whether drivers are using hand-held phones or hands-free systems. What matters is simply that they are talking with someone outside the car.