30 November 2018, Abuja, Nigeria – A staggering 1.25 million people die on the world’s roads every single year while up to 50 million more are left seriously injured or disabled. These numbers make road trafficcrashesone of the leading causes of death around the world and the primary cause of death for young people aged 15-29 (WHO, 2015).

As part of UNITAR’s efforts to contribute to advance road safety, the Institute is working closely with key public and private sector partners to assist government authorities to identify and implement strategies that reduce the risk factors for road traffic injuries such as drunk-driving, distracted driving  and speeding, to mention a few.  At the core of UNITAR’s work in road safety is to promote stronger leadership for road safety worldwide, build awareness, promote education, train those who have to create and enforce legislation, and to instil a sense of civic responsibility.  

In this line, on 30 November 2018 and in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of Nigeria, UNITAR launched a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) Campaign aimed at reducing traffic crashes due to the immoderate consumption of alcohol.  

Members of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR and partners during the launch of the HVE campaign in Abuja, NigeriaAchieving road safety targets requires strong leadership. Leaders who take action and inspire others to implement concrete and evidence-based interventions that save livesare key to advance road safety.  UNITAR is proud to have launched the HVE campaign with the support of His Excellency Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Member of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR.

The HVE campaign will be implemented in 2019 with the support of Diageo and it will include on-the-ground training for law enforcement officers from Nigeria. The overall goal of the training is to strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement officers of the Federal Road Safety Corpsof Nigeria to run HVE campaigns to help reduce alcohol-related fatalities and crashes.

The HVE campaign will also include the use of visible elements and an advertising strategy to educate the public and to promote a voluntary compliance with the law. Throughout the Campaign, checkpoints to conduct breathalyzer texts will take place in targeted locations in Nigeria.

In 2019 and beyond, UNITAR will continue to offer training opportunities for government authorities and key stakeholders to help them identifying solutions to better manage critical risk factors for traffic injuries.

Photo 1: Official from the Federal Road Safety Corps conducting a breathalyzer test
Photo 2: Members of the Board of Trustees of UNITAR and partners during the launch of the HVE campaign in Abuja, Nigeria