UN urges global action on road safety
Source: Agencies |
March 4, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE United Nations General Assembly has urged governments to build better roads, require seatbelts and helmets and curb drunk driving and cell phone use to prevent millions of driving deaths.
The resolution, while not binding, represents an effort by the world body to apply pressure on governments and car makers to implement safety standards that could help save 5 million lives worldwide and prevent 50 million serious injuries over the next decade.
It urges governments to adopt road safety programs, including improved motorways, seatbelt and helmet rules and measures to eradicate drunk driving and driving while on a mobile phone.
The 192-nation General Assembly's move comes amid a safety crisis in the car industry that has shone a spotlight on vehicle safety issues.
Toyota Motor Co has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide due to uncontrolled acceleration and braking glitches. General Motors Co is voluntarily recalling 1.3 million vehicles in North America to fix a power steering problem linked to 14 crashes and one injury.
Nearly 1.3 million people are killed in car-related accidents each year, with nine out of 10 deaths occurring in the world's poorest countries, said Etienne Krug, director of injury prevention at the World Health Organization.
"These are not just going to be words on paper in a nice, bureaucratic UN resolution," Krug said. "We have a plan of action."
Fewer than a third of countries meet basic criteria for reducing speeding and one in 10 rate the enforcement of their speed limits as ineffective, according to the WHO.
"By making road safety a priority over the next decade we have the potential to save millions of lives and to prevent many millions of injuries and disabilities," the actress Michelle Yeoh told the assembly on behalf of the Make Roads Safe campaign.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
