Every six seconds someone is killed or injured on the world’s roads. Road trauma is a leading cause of death worldwide, with nearly 1.3 million people killed on the world’s roads each year. This number is expected to rise to more than 1.9 million deaths per year by 2020 if no action is taken to address this current crisis.
While Victoria has made considerable road safety gains over the past 40 years, many developing nations still face significant road safety issues.
The worldwide Decade of Action for Road Safety was launched on Wednesday 11 May, 2011. This was a truly global event, with national and local launches held in every time zone of the world. The goal of the Decade of Action is to stabilise and then reduce the number of lives lost on the world’s roads.
To ensure that the Decade’s vision becomes a reality, the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration has prepared The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
This plan outlines a course of action for policy makers, organisations and the community to follow to ensure greater safety on the world’s roads.
For more information, visit the Decade of Action for Road Safety website.
VicRoads continues to improve road safety in Victoria and its expertise is also sought overseas.
VicRoads International Projects has successfully managed 70 international road-related projects over the past 20 years, helping to contribute to safer roads worldwide.
VicRoads International Projects has managed projects for international clients such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and foreign governments.
VicRoads is currently working in Vietnam, to develop and support the implementation of a computerised national road traffic accident system. In Indonesia, VicRoads is developing a training program in Road Safety Audits and Crash Reduction to strengthen the capability and systems of the Road Safety Engineering Unit (RSEU) in the Directorate General of Highways.
VicRoads publishes a list of current and completed international projects that have been delivered.