Improving road safety for children in African cities
The facts are as compelling as they are alarming. Road traffic injury is the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to19, and the second leading cause of death for those aged 5 to 14. In addition to death, tens of millions of children each year require hospital care for non-fatal injuries as a result of road crashes, many of whom are left with some form of disability, often with life-long consequences. Sadly too, the Africa region is over-represented in all categories of road crash death and injury statistics.
To look at regional and global best practice in addressing this crisis, the Global Road Safety Partnership’s 3rd Africa Road Safety Seminar, to be held in Cape Town on August 12-13, is dedicated to ‘Improving road safety for children in African cities’.
The seminar is aimed at road safety stakeholders in the Africa region, together with all those with an interest and role to play in the implementation of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety objectives, including government ministries, NGOs and the private sector.
A strong line-up of expert regional and international speakers, including government representatives, has been confirmed for the seminar which has fast become a key regional event on the road safety calendar (link to seminar details and agenda http://wired.ivvy.com/event/AFRICA). Through a series of participatory sessions and open sharing platforms, attendees will be given insight into leading examples of city and community based interventions addressing child road safety from the region and abroad.
The seminar will examine current knowledge in child road safety, look at examples of where the special needs of children have been incorporated into city design, reflect on the models and importance of the partnership approach as well as share the challenges, successes and experiences from a range of current child road safety programmes.
It is expected that existing networks will be strengthened and new ones formed. Partnership and collaboration opportunities will be created. Ideas will surface and existing thinking will be enhanced through the input and collective knowledge of more than 130 delegates who will be attending this high profile event.
The 3rd Africa Road Safety Seminar is conducted as a part of the Global Road Safety Initiative, one of the world’s largest private sector road safety collaborations, proudly supported by Michelin, Renault, Shell, Total and Toyota.
