Road safety - our role for change

Margaret Stevenson, Exploration Logistics Driver Training Sales Manager reports from the 2nd UN Stakeholders Forum on Global Road Safety

In February, new penalties for using a phone while driving were introduced in the UK. In March, a campaign to encourage seat-belt usage followed and, in July, drivers will be told once again of the deadly consequences of drinking and driving. Educational initiatives are still vital in curbing accidents on UK roads. Decades of focussing on driver safety means that, like most other high income countries, the UK is one of the best road safety performers. Across all the 15 longest standing members of the European Union, only 135 lives per million of the population were lost to road traffic accidents in 2004.

The death tolls in poorer countries stand out in stark contrast as globally more than 1.2 million men, women and children are killed every year, many more seriously injured. In South Eastern Europe, people die on the roads at a rate ten times higher than their Western European counterparts. A report from the United Nations Commission for Asia and the Pacific highlights 440,000 deaths on the road in one year alone. The shocking truth is that 85% of all road traffic deaths occur in developing countries.

It has taken high income countries years to develop today's road safety measures. Most of this knowledge is transferable and, in its report for change, 'Make Roads Safe', the Commission for Global Road Safety highlights the urgency of ensuring this same learning curve is avoided by low income countries. Reporting to the 2nd UN Stakeholders Forum on Global Road Safety in April, three out of the five UN Economic Commissions highlighted issues to do with awareness, driver education and lack of safety culture as the biggest problems facing their regions. Along with political commitment and financial resources, there is a need to encourage multi-sectoral engagement in road safety and Western organisations with interests in developing countries clearly have a role to play.

Catalyst for change

Many organisations are already making a difference, developing training and safety initiatives that act as a catalyst for change. In Egypt, one organisation's drive to improve safety has also improved standards in the local community. Now proud of their driving habits, their employees are keen to hold a corporate Driving Permit, but the Driving Permit is also a prerequisite and a goal for anyone, including third party organisations, conducting company business on the road.

In our experience of training and enhancing driving standards for organisations all round the globe, the biggest obstacle to change is a cultural one. Many local drivers take the view that their survival, and that of other road users, simply rests in the hands of their God. Then there are issues such as examination phobia and a fear of appearing inadequate in front of colleagues. Part of our ability to get to the bottom line and deliver clients miles of accident-free driving in countries with the very worst accident rates is by supporting a significant cultural change within their organisations, encouraging commitment to driver safety at all levels.

If current predictions continue, road traffic deaths will double by 2020, the year by which Sweden, in contrast, aims to achieve its Vision Zero, that's no deaths at all on Swedish roads. As employers working in developing countries, we all have a responsibility to turn the tide on this devastating trend, by raising skill levels and by setting standards that will not only improve safety for employees and make our own operations' more efficient but, most significantly, be an agent for change, saving lives in the communities around us.

For more information about driver training please contact Margaret Stevenson.