United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe A conducive regulatory framework for reaching objectives Madrid, 24 February 2009 Virginia Tanase Transport Division, UNECE 1

2. UNECE Region +USA

3. Customs UNECE - 60 years of work Social Rules (driving and rest hours) Road Traffic Rules Road Signs and Signals Drivers’ License Infrastructure (standards and parameters, tunnel safety, all land modes) Vehicles Regulations Statistics Border Crossing Facilitation Dangerous Goods

4. UNECE 60 years of work www.unece.org/trans

5. The project “Improving Global Road Safety: setting regional and national road traffic casualty reduction targets” Overarching objective: to assist low and middle income countries to develop regional and national road traffic casualty reduction targets and to provide them with examples of good road safety practice that could help them to achieve the targets selected by 2015 Duration: to be carried out by the five UN regional commissions in 2008-2009 Budget: $658,000

6. The project Main activity: organization of seminar(s) in each Regional Commission - ECA, ECLAC, ESCAP: 15 countries - ECE: 7-10 countries - ESCWA: 5-8 countries Beneficiaries: Ministries of Interior, Transport, Health and Education, NGOs active in road safety, and all road users

7. Existing road safety targets • Road safety strategies that include targets are more successful and really worked for developed countries • Regional casualty reduction targets include: • European Union and European Conference of Ministers of Transport to reduce fatalities by 50% by 2010 and 2012 respectively • Additional steps possible: Belarus (-100 accidents/year), Russian Federation (-10% injured every year, on a province basis) • UNESCAP Ministers agreed to cut deaths by 600,000 by 2015 • UNECA Ministers of Health & Transport agreed to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2015

8. Setting of targets at national, sub-regional, regional levels and improved safety on the roads Findings of the project communicated to/taken into account by the ministerial conference on road safety to be organized in November 2009 in Russian Federation Awareness and commitment, to ensure follow-up and sustainability Minimum expected outcome of the project

9. What future without action? Regional Forecast for Growth in Road Traffic Fatalities

10. What actions to improve future? Set targets, adopt them formally and work towards achieving them!!! Adapt them to local specificities so as to enhance impact province/state level (case of large countries) Define a number of targets in terms of different road safety problems or groups of road users separate targets for drinking and driving, use of seatbelts and child restraints and wearing of helmets Design targets that are easy to measure, to create confidence and motivation Set benchmarks and intermediate targets against which you can evaluate the progress and which may point to the need for remedial action

11. shark = high risk Fear of every beach holiday 71 shark attacks in 2007, but… 5-10 deaths a year Road safety and risk perception • coconut = low risk • symbol of holidays, • but… • about 150 deathsa year caused by falling coconuts Source: UN World Tourism Organization

12. Road safety basic legislation Legal instruments • Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna 1968 (consolidated) • Convention on Road Signs and Signals, Vienna 1968 (consolidated) Sets of best practices • Consolidated Resolution on Road Traffic (R.E.1 • Consolidated Resolution on Road Signs and Signals (R.E.2)

13. Road Traffic, 1949 AR, CL,CU, DO, EC, GT, PY, PE, PT, ES, VE

14. Protocol to 1949-Signs and Signals CU, DO, EC, PT, ES

15. Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna 1968 • Facilitates international road traffic in 68 countries, • Enhances road safety through • Uniform rules • for drivers and other road users • for road vehicles • Set of best practices: Resolution on Road Traffic (R.E.1)- modernization to be completed in March ‘09

16. Road Traffic, 1968 BR, CU, PE, UY, plus CL,CR, EC, PT, ES and VE- signed but not ratified

17. Convention on Road Signsand Signals, 1968 • Improvesroad safetythrougheducationbased on common standards in 58 countries • Over 200 internationallyagreedsigns& signals(danger warning, regulatory, informative) • Normsfor traffic lights, road markings, variable message signs, road works and level-crossingssigns • Set of best practices: Resolution on Road Signs and Signals (R.E.2)- updated in 2008

18. Road Signs and Signals, 1968 CL, CU, plus BR,CR, EC, PT, ES and VE- signed but not ratified

19. Conclusion (1) Multilateral legal instruments can yield substantial benefits to public and private sectors For this to happen, they must be fully and effectively implemented: implementation is a national competency.

20. Accession versus implementation Source: FIA European Bureau

21. Accession versus implementation Source: FIA European Bureau

22. Accession versus implementation

23. Accession versus implementation AIT/FIA Information Centre (OTA)

24. Accession versus implementation AIT/FIA Information Centre (OTA)

25. Accession versus implementation Source: FIA European Bureau

26. Accession versus implementation Source: FIA European Bureau

27. Accession versus implementation AIT/FIA Information Centre (OTA)

28. Conclusion (2) Essential for improving road safety: • Conducive environment: harmonized laws, institutions and practices and effective enforcement! • Strong political will, committment and consistency at national, sub-regional and regional levels to reach the goal • Public-Private Partnership- make everybody care! If not, efforts are denatured, resulting in barriers to the welfare of society and to the development of the economy as a whole.

29. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Thank you for your kind attention! www.unece.org/trans 29