22 June 2020, Geneva, Switzerland – UNITAR’s Division for People launched the “Webinar Series Management Practices for Safer Roads” to raise awareness about practical interventions and best practices that contribute to improve road safety. Mr. Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, kicked off the series and highlighted the importance of remaining focused on issues like road safety during these unprecedented times. “Let’s continue to take bold steps to reduce road traffic crashes and let’s further collaborate so that when the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, we stand ready to bring new learnings and best practices to the next decade of action for road safety”, stressed Mr. Seth.

The Webinar Series features the Management Practices for Safer Roads Toolkit, which is an interactive e-learning tool that presents a management methodology that can help improve road safety by:

• Identifying the number of deaths and injuries related to road traffic crashes and risk factors;
• Identifying critical road locations or sections where excessive numbers of crashes occur;
• Conducting safety assessments of existing road infrastructure;
• Outlining engineering treatments and corrective measures to improve road safety.

The inaugural webinar, hosted in collaboration with the International Road Federation (IRF), AB InBev and the CIFAL Global Network, brought together 192 participants from governments, the private sector, academic institutions and road safety practitioners, representing 63 countries to learn about the Toolkit and its practical and successful application in cities like Brasilia. State Secretary of Transportation and Mobility of the Federal District of Brazil, Mr. Valter Casimiro Silveira, shared how Brasilia has reduced road traffic fatalities and injuries by analysing crash data, identifying crash “hot spots” and improving the highest-risk roads.

The Toolkit presented in the webinar also highlights interventions implemented in other cities and countries including, China, Dominican Republic, India, Mexico and South Africa. It is based on the premise that achieving road safety targets requires, among others, improving existing road infrastructure for the benefit of all road users.

The Webinar Series is hosted in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Regions, AB InBev, as well as local and international partners. It includes online learning activities in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.