Over 20 countries represented in the 2018 Global Road Safety Leadership Course in Baltimore, USA.

Twice a year, every year, over 60 people from more than 20 different countries participate in the Global Road Safety Leadership Course—a two-week course organized by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) and Johns Hopkins University’s International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU). Started in 2016, the Global Road Safety Leadership Course (GRSLC) has trained over 300 people drawn from Governments, NGOs, International Organizations, academia, police and enforcement agencies, and the media.

The GRSLC is held twice a year: once in Baltimore and the other at a rotating location—so far including Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Nairobi (Kenya). Its faculty is composed of experts from GRSP, the JH-IIRU, the World Health Organization, the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, The Global Designing Cities Initiative, the Global New Car Assessment Programme and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. In the latest course, held in July 2018, guest lecturers included representatives of the New York Police Department, the New York Department of Transportation, and the Former Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene for the State of Maryland.

This course is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, which focuses on spreading effective road safety solutions. It aims to build the capacity of municipalities to implement road safety interventions and it supports national governments in strengthening legislation. The GRSLC includes modules on topics such as:

• • • • Road safety management
      • Safer roads and mobility
      • Safer vehicles
      • Safer road users
      • Post-crash response
      • Advocating for road safety policy passage and implementation

During the most recent course, the participants travelled from Baltimore to New York City to visit Bloomberg Philanthropies and learn about best practice interventions in road police enforcement and community engagement to address road traffic death and serious injury. They then ventured out to see first-hand how certain New York City streets are designed to be safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Participants also travelled to Virginia to visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to learn about safer cars and crash testing.

One of the participants, Jason Salvador from the Philippines, specifically benefitted from the global nature of the GRSLC: “You can really say that collaborating with different countries is really helpful because you can get different experiences, different perspectives, and different approaches as well.”.

After two intense and dynamic weeks packed with theoretical and practical learning, the participants were ready to apply their new skills and knowledge to road safety initiatives in their home countries. “For me, to have this international experience, it’s quite important,” commented Rodrigo Guerrero a participant from Mexico. “Now I can bring home some brilliant ideas to fill the gaps I have identified.”.

GRSP and the JH-IIRU are already preparing the courses for 2019, which will take place in Baltimore, USA and Buenos Aries, Argentina.

Visit the GRSP’s website for more information on the course.