Global Road Safety Conference in Marrakech: Key Outcomes and Challenges Ahead

The Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety convened in Marrakech, Morocco, from 18 to 20 February 2025, under the theme “Commit to Life.” This pivotal gathering brought together leaders and experts from over 100 countries to accelerate actions aimed at halving global road deaths and injuries by 2030, as outlined in the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Adoption of the Marrakech Declaration

A significant outcome of the conference was the unanimous endorsement of the Marrakech Declaration for Global Road Safety. This declaration calls on governments worldwide to prioritise road safety politically, ensure sustained funding, and implement strategic actions to reduce road trauma. It emphasises the necessity for evidence-based strategies, robust coordination, and adequate financing to meet the world’s ambitious target. “This is a great step forward in reaching a sustainable reduction of road crash death and injury” says David Cliff, CEO of the GRSP. “This is not just a declaration of intents, but a call to action reflecting a collaborative and inclusive process to achieve significant progress in road safety globally.”.

The Critical Role of Road Policing

A strong emphasis was placed on effective road policing, with experts highlighting its role in ensuring compliance with speed limits, seatbelt, child restraint and helmet use, and drink-driving laws. Several nations have made strides in increasing road policing efforts, particularly those focussed on speed enforcement, random roadside breath testing and ensuring motorcycle riders and passengers are wearing and fastening quality helmets. However, gaps remain, particularly in countries where policing is underfunded or where political will to enforce laws is lacking.

There is a clear correlation between high volumes of road policing and reductions in road deaths and severe injuries. Countries have demonstrated that zero-tolerance policing of speeding and impaired driving leads to fewer fatalities and serious injuries. In contrast, nations that continue to treat road safety as an afterthought, with low penalties and weak enforcement, contribute to avoidable deaths and injuries.

Failure to Implement Global Speed Recommendations

While the conference saw many positive commitments, one of the most glaring failures remains the reluctance of many countries to adopt safe system-based speed limits as outlined in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Despite overwhelming evidence that lower speeds save lives, some governments continue to resist adopting internationally recommended limits, namely:

• 30 km/h in urban areas where cars interact with pedestrians and cyclists
• 80 km/h on non-median divided rural roads

Countries that have failed to implement life saving speed limits, often under pressure from motoring lobby groups and political inertia – are directly undermining global efforts to reduce road trauma. The refusal to lower urban speed limits to 30 km/h disproportionately impacts children, elderly pedestrians, and cyclists, who remain the most vulnerable. Similarly, the continued allowance of dangerously high speeds on non-median divided rural roads significantly increases the risk of fatal and serious injury crashes.

Conclusion

The Marrakech conference marked a significant milestone in global road safety efforts, fostering renewed commitments, strategic partnerships, and actionable plans. With the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration and the announcement of concrete national initiatives, the global community has reinforced its dedication to creating safer roads and achieving the ambitious goal of reducing road fatalities and injuries by half by 2030.

However, political inaction, weak road policing, and refusal to implement safe system-based speed limits remain major obstacles. Countries that continue to prioritise the speeding fixation of some motorists over human lives must be held accountable for the avoidable deaths and severe injuries occurring on their roads. The real test lies not in making commitments but in delivering tangible, life-saving actions.