Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific No. 89 Improving Road Safety ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations and serves as the main economic and social development centre for the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific. Its mandate is to foster cooperation among its 53 members and 9 associate members. ESCAP provides the strategic link between global and country-level programmes and issues. It supports the Governments of the region in consolidating regional positions and advocates regional approaches to meeting the region’s unique socio-economic challenges in a globalizing world. The ESCAP office is located in Bangkok, Thailand. Please visit our website at <www.unescap.org> for further information. The shaded areas of the map are ESCAP Members and Associate members. Cover design by Bryan Joseph Granados Sabroso TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS BULLETIN FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC No. 89 Improving Road Safety Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific No. 89 Improving Road Safety United Nations publication Copyright © United Nations 2019 All rights reserved Manufactured in Thailand ISSN: 0252-4392 ST/ESCAP/SER.E/89 ESCAP WORKS TOWARDS REDUCING POVERTY AND MANAGING GLOBALIZATION References to dollars ($) are to United States dollars, unless otherwise stated. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This document has been issued without formal editing. 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Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent or reproduction, should be addressed to the Secretary of the Publications Board, United Nations, New York. ii PREFACE Member States have pledged to deliver results for all with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And yet, an estimated 1.35 million road traffic fatalities still occur on roads around the world every year and approximately 50 million victims are seriously injured or disabled for life. Road safety has become one of the most pressing development issues of our times, with its multi-dimensional social and economic consequences. This global agenda acknowledges the need to act in the light of these tragedies. Within the United Nations SDGs, which aim to “leave no one behind”, two targets are set: SDG target 3.6 to halve the number of road fatalities and injuries by 2020 and target 11.2 to provide safe, accessible and affordable sustainable transport for all by 2030. As the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, I encourage governments, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and – most importantly – all of us citizens to realize that road crashes are not a twist of destiny that strikes some and spares others. Achieving road safety is at the hands of everyone and there are proven solutions. The best performing countries in terms of the number of road traffic fatalities have established a complete road safety system to manage and prevent road crashes. This comprises a strong regulatory framework with application of the United Nations road safety legal instruments; safe infrastructure which protect all road users; safe vehicles in line with the United Nations regulations; safe road user behavior with an established road safety culture reflected in the UN Vienna Conventions; and effective and comprehensive post-crash care. These components must be implemented with strong national legislation, enforcement, education as well as use of innovation and technology. Unfortunately, there are many countries and regions around the world which do not have a full or effective system in place to address this growing challenge. The Asia and Pacific region continues to be one of the most affected in regards to the number and rate of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries. I commend the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) for its dedication to improving road safety in this region. This bulletin presents several experiences and practices that have been adopted by some countries in the area and have contributed to reducing the number of road crashes. They are worth studying. On the global front and thanks to the work of all partners, which have helped us at the national and regional levels, there have been many accomplishments. To build momentum for our individual efforts, let us use the more than 10 United Nations General Assembly resolutions on improving road safety, which call for increased action from all Member States. Also, in 2018, initiated by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and me, 10 United Nations organizations have established the first UN Road Safety Fund aimed to support the most affected countries in building national road safety systems and to help catalyze more funds. The first formal call for proposals was launched in October 2019, and we expect the most vulnerable countries to benefit from this initiative. Finally, the third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety is taking place in Stockholm in February 2020 marking the end of the Decade of Action for Road Safety and blazing our path for the next. This will provide us with even stronger precedence to accelerate action. While many development issues are intractable, road crashes are not one of them. Solutions exist and must be applied. We should all learn from one another. Join me, UNESCAP and other stakeholders in making our roads safer. Jean Todt United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety iii * On 29 April 2015, Jean Todt was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as Special Envoy for Road Safety. Mr. Todt is also the President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile since October 2009. This follows a career as a rally driver and in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari F1 team, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004 to 2008. iv Editorial Statement The Transport and Communication Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific is a peer-reviewed journal that is published once a year by the Transport Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The Bulletin is a medium in which knowledge, experience, ideas, policy options and information on the development of transport infrastructure and services in the Asia- Pacific region is shared. The main objectives to these are to stimulate policy-oriented research and to increase awareness on the policy issues and responses of the transportation industry. The Bulletin attempts to widen and deepen the debate on the issues of interest and concern in the transport sector. Transport plays an integral part in the development of social and economic opportunities. It facilitates the movement of people, goods, labors, resources, product and ideas across regions. Different transport modes and services and the state of domestic and international connectivity can greatly influence the well-being of the people and their own environment. However, as the levels of motorization in Asia and the Pacific continue to increase, it also has resulted in an increase of traffic fatalities and injuries. At the rate of the growing epidemic of traffic accidents, the issue of road safety has become a global development agenda. Managing the transport sector can make a direct and indirect contribution towards the achievements of the SDGs if the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – are integrated into transport policies, planning and operation. Two SDGs targets are relevant to road safety -target 3.6 to halve the number of road fatalities and injuries by 2020 and target 11.2 to provide safe, accessible and affordable sustainable transport for all by 2030. The current issue of the Bulletin focuses on the theme of “Improving Road Safety”. Each of the six papers contribute different interesting aspects of the theme, and include various approaches in improving road safety in a particular context. The first article by Kassim, Ahmad, Jawi and Ishak provide an overview of testing safety features of cars entering ASEAN market. It also outlines the work of ASEAN NCAP in crating awareness of buyers and improving safety aspects cars by advocating importance of safety features and ensuring their compliance working with countries and manufacturers. ASEAN NCAP has covered 90 percent of the passenger car brands sold in the Southeast