Pope Francis received today in a private audience, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, accompanied by UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach.
Jean Todt and Christian Friis Bach outlined today’s road safety challenge and the need for governments and communities to prioritise road safety, beginning with implementing the UN Road Safety Conventions and putting in place effective traffic regulations. They presented Pope Francis a film directed by Luc Besson entitled “Save Kids Lives” in support of the #SaveKidsLives campaign, which draws attention to the 500 children killed every day on the world’s roads, by encouraging people to sign the Child Declaration on Road Safety. His Holiness Pope Francis showed great interest in the cause and signed in support of the campaign.
According to the WHO, every year 1.25 million people die as a result of road crashes, mostly in low- and middle-income countries, and 20 to 50 million more are injured, sometimes permanently. It is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29, and could soon become the leading cause of death among 5-14 year-olds as well. Half of those dying on the world’s roads are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The international community has started to address this issue: the Sustainable Development Goals that were recently adopted by the UN General Assembly include the target to halve road traffic fatalities by 2020.
Jean Todt said: "We warmly thank His Holiness for his time today to discuss road safety. Road crashes are one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. They disproportionately affect the poorest countries and the most vulnerable in our communities. Pope Francis’s support of the #SaveKidsLives campaign will help raise awareness of the 500 children who lose their lives every day on the world’s road.”
Christian Friis Bach said: “His Holiness was strong in his support for the Sustainable Development Goals, which include the target to halve road fatalities by 2020. We know how to prevent crashes and improve road safety. Most road crashes can be avoided, but this requires that countries step up their efforts to ratify and fully implement the UN road safety conventions. This could save millions of lives by 2020 and beyond. The strong interest from His Holiness in improving road safety to save lives is very welcome”.
UNECE is the custodian of 58 UN conventions and agreements in the field of in-land transport, addressing most aspects of road safety (vehicles, road construction, road signs and signals, etc.). These contain dispositions helping countries implement legislation addressing all the major causes of crashes: speed limits, safe road infrastructure, drink-driving, motorcycle helmets and all safety features in vehicles, including seat belts, air bags and child restraint systems. UNECE hosts the secretariat and supports the activities of the Special Envoy for Road Safety.