Wrap Up: GRSP Asia Seminar 2013 – Targeting Vulnerable Road Users
Pedestrians, motorcycle, e-bike and bicycle users are the most vulnerable of all road users, accounting for half of all road traffic deaths. Fortunately, there are ways to protect these road users from harm. This year, the Global Road Safety Partnership Asia Seminar 2013 in Manila, the Philippines, hosted nearly 200 road safety experts, practitioners, business representatives and government officials from all over the world who shared ideas, initiatives and best practices to help reduce road deaths and injuries amongst vulnerable road users in the region.
“The Global Road Safety Partnership Asia Seminar is becoming an increasingly important global event in the GRSP calendar, attracting delegates from all over the world. This seminar is not only a workshop, but it is a platform where people can share ideas and challenges,” stated Pieter Venter, CEO, Global Road Safety Partnership.
The seminar, ‘Targeting Vulnerable Road Users’, was on topic with the upcoming Second United Nations Global Road Safety Week (6-12 May 2013) dedicated to pedestrian safety. Key objectives of the seminar were to share knowledge in best practices, provide capacity building, showcase research and promote effective road safety programmes within the region. The seminar also helped stimulate support and entice action for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.
On day one of the seminar, Saul Billingsley, Deputy Director General of the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, presented on the Long Short Walk, a campaign urging governments around the world to include road safety in new Sustainable Development Goals. “The agenda for this campaign is to promote safe walking as a right for all, push for safer routes to schools and to ensure that road safety is included in the post 2015 goals,” explained Mr Billingsley. The entire group then donned reflective vests and took part in a walk along the streets of Manila in support of the campaign.
The Philippines GRSP National Society also presented on their road safety work and hosted a workshop on building business relationships, in so doing showcasing their successes in developing sustainable local partnerships with the corporate sector.
The seminar hosted delegates from more than 13 countries from all around the world covering topics including effective advocacy on road safety, evaluating road safety programmes for vulnerable road users, effective pedestrian treatments including improving safety for children, targeting helmet wearing, fostering partnerships with businesses to improve road safety and how to asses pedestrian risk. The seminar also serves as an important forum at which road safety advocates convene to gain strength, knowledge, guidance and support to help bring road safety to the forefront of government policy thinking.
The three-day seminar run under the auspices of the GRSP administered Global Road Safety Initiative, the world’s largest private sector road safety collaboration funded by Michelin, Renault, Shell, Total and Toyota, incorporated the two-day GRSP Asia Seminar, with the third day hosting the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Asia Pacific Workshop. GRSP Member, Nestle, a global leader in corporate fleet road safety, was also a major event sponsor.
Further information including seminar presentations can be found at www.grspasia.org.
