87931 MAKING ROADS SAFE I N L AT I N A M E R I C A A N D T H E C A R I B B E A N “ We are running out of time. President Óscar Arias Sánchez ” Sponsors The First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum Organizing Committee: National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI) Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of Costa Rica (MOPT) UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) / World Health Organization (WHO) FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society World Bank Global Road Safety Facility Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Global Road Safety Forum (GRSF) FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society The Organizing Committee wishes to thank our additional sponsors for their support of the San José meetings. 3M Automobile Club of Costa Rica (ACCR) Bidez & Associates Chevron Corporation Copa Airlines Costa Rican Institute for Energy and Telecommunications (ICE) National Insurance Institute of Costa Rica (INS) Riteve S y C Shell Corporation Union Institute and University The Global Road Safety Forum wishes to thank the sponsors of this document. FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society Richard Stanley Productions World Bank Global Road Safety Facility Please visit www.taskforce.org/grsf to find out more about global road safety activities and events. M aking Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean “We have an opportunity to address this threat, to substitute peace and survival for violence and death....I know we can succeed; I only fear that we are running out of time” Óscar Arias Sánchez President, Costa Rica Edited by Lisa Hayes, Mark Rosenberg, and Jerry Abraham All distribution of this document in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, must credit The Global Road Safety Forum. © Global Road Safety Forum 2007. All rights reserved. 750 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA, USA, 30030. www.taskforce.org/grsf. Acknowledgements This work has resulted from the collaborative efforts of a number of key individuals and institutions—the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of Costa Rica (MOPT), the National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the World Bank, the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, the FIA, and the Global Road Safety Forum (GRSF). We would like to thank Karla Gonzalez, Roy Rojas, Jessica Alvarado, Ricardo Sanchez, Alberto Concha-Eastman, Etienne Krug, Luis Moreno, Pietro Masci, Tony Bliss, and David Ward for sponsoring this Forum. Their expertise, participation, and passion made this event possible. We want to thank Carlos Macaya, Leda Aguilar Córdoba and the Automobile Club of Costa Rica for their help in many aspects of the meeting, especially for graciously hosting the Forum participants at the Gala Dinner and the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards. We owe a great debt of thanks to President Óscar Arias Sánchez for his dedicated support for road safety in Costa Rica and the entire Latin American and Caribbean region: he has been instrumental in bringing road safety to the forefront. We also thank his staff for their steadfast support for this work; in particular, we would like to thank Karla Gonzalez and Ignacio Sánchez for all they did to build support for this presidential initiative. We thank HRH Prince Michael of Kent for saluting progress in road safety throughout the region and for recognizing Costa Rica's Por Amor seatbelt campaign. The Global Road Safety Forum would like to acknowledge all the speakers and par- ticipants at the First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum who came from far and wide. They are the heart and soul of our continuing effort. We would also like to thank the work group chairs—Eduardo Vazquez-Vela (Political Will), Nani Rodriguez (Information and Surveillance Systems), João Pedro Corrêa (Communications), Greg Speier (Intrastructure), and Julio Urzúa Negrete (Knowledge Sharing)—for all that they did to help develop the agenda for the Forum and the curriculum for the training sessions. All of the training session leaders gave generously of their time and expertise: Karla Gonzalez, Wahid Ali Al-Kharusi, Eduardo Bertotti, Alberto Concha-Eastman, John Dawson, Bella Dinh-Zarr, Philip Gold, Lucien Jones, Etienne Krug, Kate McMahon, Eugenia Rodriquez, Ernesto Tennenbaum, and Jay Winsten. We thank Margaret McIntyre for her hard work in helping to plan and execute the Forum. We thank our other sponsors for their generosity and support to bring together glob- al partners to address road safety: COSEVI, Bidez and Associates, the Chevron Corporation, the FIA Foundation, Union Institute and University, and the World Bank. In addition, we would like to recognize our in-kind sponsors: 3M, Copa Airlines, ICE, INS, Riteve, and the Shell Corporation. We are grateful to Nuvia Ramírez and Juan Carlos Ramírez for their tire- less efforts and event planning services. We also wish to acknowledge the FIA Foundation for their support of the report itself; Richard Stanley, Hugh Hood, and the FIA Foundation for producing a clear and powerful video on road safety including wonderful interviews with stakeholders from the region; Rita Cuypers for ensuring the interviews and Gala were exe- cuted seamlessly; Cathey Oldroyd for graphic design and layout of the report; Maria Fe Torres for her tireless translations and Julio Urzúa Negrete for additional help with translation and document preparation; Sonia Zuña, Ivy Newman, and Kim Smith for their support; and Tom Rosenberger, Daniel Martins and Gloria Freeman for operational support. Lisa Hayes Mark Rosenberg Jerry Abraham Editors Table of Contents Peace on the Roads, President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum: Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Road Safety Crisis: Background of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Moving Toward a Solution: Previous Progress in the Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Building Capacity in the Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sharing Perspectives, Forging Consensus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Road Ahead: Combining Scientific Knowledge, Social Strategy, and Political Will . . . . . . . . . . 14 Champions for Road Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Dr. Óscar Arias Sánchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Declaration of San José: We Must Stop the Epidemic of Deaths on Our Roads . . . . . . . 22 Forum Contributors (please see Spanish language side for complete listing) Photography Credits (please see Spanish language side for photo credits) The Enclosed interactive CD includes the items listed in the Table of Contents above as well as the following items: Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean, a documentary by Richard Stanley Agenda Forum Training Sessions Strengthening National Road Safety Plans Road Safety Data Systems Road Infrastructure Assessment and Development Communicating Key Messages for Road Safety Advocating for Global Road Safety Forum Presentations Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Celebrating Road Safety Successes Vision for the Future: Working Together to Create a Multi-Sectoral Regional Actor Realizing the Potential of A Multi-Sectoral Approach Communications and Campaigns: Identifying Major Messages and Working with TV, Radio, and Print Media to Deliver Them Envisioning a Future for Regional Collaboration: Reports of the Working Groups Resource Mobilization: Strategies for Engaging Global, Regional & National Players The Road Ahead for the Regional Initiative A Message from Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank “Peace on the Roads”, an Op-Ed Piece by President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica Forum Participant List and Directory Biographies of Forum Speakers Select Photographs from the 2006 San José Forum Peace on the Roads 7 P eace on the Roads by Óscar Arias Sánchez Saturday, September 9, 2006; The Washington Post In the 1980s Central America was engaged in violent struggles that claimed the lives of more than 70,000 people. But we were able to bring a peaceful resolu- tion to these struggles, restore human rights and work for a better future. I dedicated my life to this cause. Times have changed, and now peace requires a different kind of fight. We face a danger that not only kills people but lulls us into an unconscious silence. It doesn't attract media and global attention as wars “We face a danger and murders do, but it is violence nonetheless—violence on our roads. that…does not attract Road traffic injuries kill 1.2 million victims around the world media and global each year, a toll equivalent to the disease burden of tuberculosis or malaria. And as with these diseases, the tremendous burden of death and attention as wars and disability resulting from these injuries falls primarily on low- and middle- murders do, but it is income countries where victims are commonly the most vulnerable road violence nonetheless— users: pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. When the person killed or seriously injured is the breadwinner, the families of these victims are violence on our roads.” often forced into poverty. The cumulative cost to the Latin American and Caribbean region is about 1 percent of our gross domestic product, or more than $20 billion a year. World Bank statistics show that in 2000, the Latin American and Caribbean region had the highest average rate of road traffic deaths per capita in the world: We lose about 122,000 lives every year. And for every person who dies, 20 to 50 are seriously injured. If we do not take strong and effective measures, this number is sure to rise markedly. There are powerful tools that can save lives in our region and elsewhere. In Costa Rica, we combined a public awareness campaign with a new seat belt law and strong police enforcement to increase seat belt usage for drivers from 24 per- cent to 82 percent, and recorded fatality rates dropped. In Ghana, placement of speed bumps and rumble strips at crash hot spots reduced fatalities by 55 percent and serious injuries by 76 percent. In Thailand, a compulsory helmet law for motorcyclists reduced serious head injuries by 40 percent and mortality from motorcycle injuries by 24 percent. These interventions are not only effective, they are some of the least expensive ways to save lives that we have—for any part of the world. Our failure to use these powerful tools for prevention means that we simply allow these violent deaths to continue. We must not turn away from what is happening. It is both urgent and important that all nations of the Latin American and Caribbean region work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on our roads. Toward this end representatives of every country in the region have been invited to meet in San José, Costa Rica, next week to sign the Declaration of San José. The declaration will urge all nations of the region to implement recommen- dations of the World Bank and World Health Organization's World Report on Road Traffic Injury and Prevention. Emphasizing road safety as a critical part of sustainable development, we will urge that resources be committed that are commensurate with the need and magnitude of the problem. And we hope that development banks will lead the way by requiring that at least 10 percent of their investments for infrastructure 8 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean development be applied to road safety programs. I have signed a presidential decree that commits Costa Rica to exactly this course. We will also urge that resources be committed to the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility by the industrialized nations so that the facility can reach a total investment of at least $300 million by 2015. This program has the potential to make funds available to the countries in our region to develop road safety programs and the management capacity needed to make them “We will urge that work. resources be committed Finally we will commit to jointly develop a regional organization that are commensurate that will represent all relevant sectors of government, civil society, and the private sector and promote a region-wide approach to road safety. with the need and We have an opportunity to address this threat, to substitute magnitude of the peace and survival for violence and death. We have faced such choices in problem.” the past and we have won. The people of this region have the same right to safety as those in other parts of the world. I am committed to promot- ing road safety because I know it will benefit Costa Rica and every other country in our region. We hope our success will also be a beacon of hope for many others in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. I know we can succeed; I only fear that we are running out of time. The writer is President of Costa Rica. He was awarded the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end conflicts in several Central American countries. © 2006 The Washington Post Company. Executive Summary 9 E The First Latin American and Caribbean xecutive Summary Road Safety Stakeholders Forum September 12-14, 2006—San José, Costa Rica The Road Safety Crisis: Background of the Problem Road traffic crashes kill over 1.2 million people a year, a death toll that ex- ceeds fatalities due to malaria and approaches deaths attributable to tuberculosis (TB). The number of deaths from malaria has started to decrease and it is predict- ed that the deaths from TB will soon start to decrease; but the deaths from road traffic injuries are predicted to double by the year 2020. And these road traffic deaths are just the tip of the iceberg: for every single death there are 20-50 serious road traffic injuries. Yet in the face of this rapidly growing epidemic, most people are completely unaware of this looming threat, especially in low- and middle-income countries where more than 85% of all road traffic deaths occur. According to World Bank statistics, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have the highest per capita road traffic fatality rates of any region in the world, killing 122,000 people a year and costing Latin America and the Caribbean an estimated $18.9 billion USD annually, typically 1.5% of GNP. In addition to the devastating human toll, road traffic injuries are a root cause of poverty in this region. Road crashes kill and disable wage earners, leaving families without economic support. Road traffic injuries disproportionately impact Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest per capita road traffic fatality rate in the world, 2000 and 2020 Predicted Road Traffic Fatalities per capita (in thousands) 2000 35.0 and will still have the highest rates in 2020 2020 30.0 by Region, Adjusted for Underreporting 25.0 20.0 31.0 15.0 26.1 22.3 21.2 19.2 19.0 18.9 10.0 16.8 14.9 12.3 11.8 10.9 10.2 5.0 7.8 0.0 High Income Sub-Saharan East Asia and South Asia East Europe Middle East Latin America Countries Africa Pacific and and and the Central Asia North Africa Caribbean Region Source: World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, 2004. 10 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean the poor and vulnerable road users, and, when the victims are not poor to begin with, the con- sequences of these injuries often plunge the victims and their families into poverty. Tragically, for many children their entire future is erased as road traffic crashes are the number one killer of all children, aged 18 and younger. However, there is hope. The predicted devastation from road traffic injuries can be stopped. Evidence from the world's developed countries shows that road traffic injuries can be prevented with specific, proactive, measures that target the three major components of the road safety “system”: the roadway, the vehicle, and the road user. The present and urgent challenge is to work with and support the people of LAC in translating and transforming these known solutions into a regional strat- egy that is both socially and economically appropriate for their region. Moving Toward a Solution: Previous Progress in the Region A number of key regional institutions have helped to raise awareness of the road safety crisis in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) brought road safety leaders and experts together in 1998 in Brasilia to address the road traffic injury problem. This group issued the Declaration of Brasilia that called for collaborative multi-sectoral efforts to pro- mote road safety in the region. In 2004, a multi-sectoral coalition brought the crisis of road traffic injuries in developing countries to the attention of world leaders through technical briefings, a General Assembly session, and a Stakeholders Forum at the United Nations. In April 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank published the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention and WHO sponsored World Health Day with the theme of road safety. The General Assembly declared the global road safety crisis to be a UN priority, and passed a resolution designating WHO as a coordinator of road safety activities for the different parts of the UN. WHO, in turn, asked the Global Road Safety Forum (GRSF) to take responsibil- ity for advocacy and social mobilization at global and regional levels. GRSF saw the very high rates of road traffic injuries and deaths in the Latin American and Caribbean region and decided to focus on reducing the high burden of deaths and injuries in this region. The activities in this region have gained significant momentum over the last two years. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the IADB, the World Bank, the FIA Foundation, the Chilean National Traffic Safety Commission (CONASET), and the GRSF held a very productive planning meeting in Santiago, Chile, January 18-19, 2006. Their goal was to help organize a long-term regional, multi-sectoral road safety initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean bringing together all relevant parts of government (including transportation, health, law Executive Summary 11 enforcement, education, finance, and urban planning), civil society (including advocacy organizations, academia, foundations, automobile clubs, and profession- al organizations), and the private sector (including road builders, automobile manufacturers, motor vehicle product manufacturers, insurance companies, and commercial road users) to reverse the rapidly expanding epidemic of road traffic injuries and deaths in the region. The group from 11 different countries that met in Santiago said that not only was this possible-it was absolutely essential. To pre- pare for a regional forum in September 2006, participants formed 5 working groups: Political Will, Information Systems, Communications and Culture Change, Knowledge Sharing, and Infrastructure. Building Capacity in the Region ECLAC, the National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI), the FIA Foundation, PAHO, the IADB, the World Bank, and the Global Road Safety Forum (GRSF) sponsored the First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum in San José, Costa Rica on September 12-14, 2006. With over 185 stakehold- ers representing 24 different countries in the region, the Forum aimed to: • Organize a regional, multi-sectoral approach to road safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. • Build political will within national governments and other policy-making organizations throughout the region to reduce deaths and disability from road traffic injuries. • Promote integration of the relevant areas of government, civil society, and the private sector in order to accelerate national road safety plans and programs throughout the region. • Ensure that this regional road safety effort is both collaborative and sustainable. The Forum began with a full day of intensive training sessions organized by the working groups established at the Santiago meeting to address five key road safety areas. The national road safety planning sessions focused on improving safety by integrating contributions from various sectors as well as defining the crit- ical elements for a national road safety plan. The road safety data systems train- ing focused on identifying the rationale and requirements for a regional road safety sys- tem, reviewing the epidemiology of road traffic injuries, identifying best practices in collecting and analyzing data, and setting and tracking targets. The infrastructure training reviewed elements of safe roadside design and road safety assessment pro- grams. The communications sessions focused on media campaigns and road safety week activities (formulating key messages, using TV and radio). And finally, the global road safety advocacy sessions focused on understanding the global road safety crisis and the advocacy and coalition-building work that is needed to mobi- lize resources throughout the region and the world. Sharing Perspectives, Forging Consensus The Forum was designed to achieve specific targeted objectives. It began by acknowledging the important contributions of many individuals and organiza- tions that had helped to bring our understanding of road safety in the region to where it is today. In what is now a highly quoted statement, the famous Sir Isaac 12 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean Newton was supposed to have said that "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Karla Gonzalez, Minister of Public Works and Transport of Costa Rica, and Dr. Maria Luisa Avila, Minister of Health for Costa Rica, welcomed participants from 34 different countries and Minister Gonzalez reviewed progress that had been made in the region from the earlier meetings in Brasilia, to the plan- ning meeting in Santiago, concluding with important and well-documented progress that had been made in Costa Rica. Prince Michael of Kent traveled from the United Kingdom to salute the progress that had been made in organizing for road safety at the global level and within specific counties, and noted that Costa Rica had mounted an award-winning campaign to save lives by increasing seatbelt use. Etienne Krug, of WHO, reviewed progress that had been made globally and regionally since 2004 using the framework of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, and Ricardo Sanchez of ECLAC, reviewed what other regions had done and gave ECLAC's vision for what is possible in this region through collaboration. Finally, David Ward showed a video about the high-level Commission for Global Road Safety and key recommendations of its Make Roads Safe report, specifically that 10% of all road infrastructure investment should be used to improve road safety, and that $300 million USD should be made available through a Global Action Plan for road safety capacity building in low- and middle-income countries using a newly established Global Road Safety Facility at the World Bank. A number of countries in the region have had successful interventions designed to address particular aspects of the road safety problem. In Peru, there has been a very successful collaboration between the Touring and Automobile Club of Peru and the government. In Jamaica, a systematic effort to build political will was inspired by a crash that claimed almost an entire family and led to the creation of the National Road Safety Council. In Bogota, a multi-sectoral effort to reduce speeding resulted in a dramatic decrease in road traffic deaths. Mexico highlighted the important role of research in identifying risk fac- tors that could lead to new life-saving interventions. The Global Road Safety Partnership presented a collaborative effort with a number of cities in Brazil which seems to be a factor in a widespread decrease in road traffic injuries. And a collaborative effort between the Chevron Corporation and a number of state and local governments sparked a discussion about the need for a focused and efficient intervention that can be rigorously evaluated; this is critical if a partnership between governments and the pri- vate sector is to be successful. Then the Forum participants faced a challenge: given the ability of a variety of sectors to contribute to the solution, how many more deaths might be prevented if each sector contributed all that it could to preventing road traffic injuries and deaths? Is there a way that these different sectors might be pulled together both within individual countries and on a region-wide basis to make the knowledge and resources available in specific countries accessible throughout the region? Panelists from eight different countries answered these questions while giving examples of the most successful examples of life-saving interventions from trans- portation (infrastructure and vehicle design, and road user behavior), law enforcement (control of drink driving and speed, and seat belt and helmet usage), Executive Summary 13 health (emergency response, acute care, and rehabilitation), and health education (school-based programs, educational campaigns, and culture change). The second day of the Forum was structured to focus participants' atten- tion on the effective use of communication campaigns, pointing out that there is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of particular types of messages (available through the Global Transport Knowledge Partnership) and specific ways of targeting different groups of road users and persons at risk. There are also creative ways to use popular TV shows to incorporate powerful mes- sages about drinking and driving and other critical cultural aspects of “If I have seen further, it road safety. Effectively working with TV and radio journalists is neither is by standing on the automatic nor simple but it is a necessary ingredient for a successful shoulders of giants.” campaign. All participants were also urged to utilize Global Road Safety Week to launch national and regional campaigns and to take advantage –Sir Isaac Newton of the many resources and strong support provided by WHO and PAHO through their toolkits, website, and staff. The working groups that had been organized at the Santiago Planning Meeting summarized the key issues defined by their collaborative efforts, updating participants on what they had accomplished and their priorities for continuing col- laborative efforts. Each group met during the Forum and committed to submit to the yet-to-be-formed regional organization a list of priority issues that could help compose the agenda for the new coalition or committee. A critical question that all participants brought to the Forum was: where and how could the countries of the region obtain the financial resources needed to build their road safety capacity? Both the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) have committed to making investment in road infra- structure a priority and they are interested in helping countries mobilize resources to support national road safety plans and addressing obstacles and opportunities for a regional road safety ini- tiative. In most cases, the first critical step is for a con- sultation that can help countries find out what road safety resources could be accessed through the Multi- lateral Lending Institutions and then to arrange a consul- tation for how best to structure loan applications. There was a strong consensus and sense of urgency that the nations of the Latin American and Caribbean region should work together to stop the growing epidemic of road traf- fic injuries and death. But there was also clear recognition that the region has no effective mechanism to promote this collaboration and manage joint projects in road traffic safety. The most advanced region in terms of collaboration is the European Region and there are many lessons to be learned from their experience, both in terms of things to copy, things to modify, and things to avoid. PAHO has been working to facilitate regional collaboration on road safety and, together with other regional and global organizations, stands ready to help countries strengthen their national road safety plans. And the International Road Assessment Program 14 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean (iRAP) is developing an approach to assess a country's roadways as a first step to identifying, implementing, and monitoring the impact of the most critical safety improvements that could be made to save lives on these roads. As the Forum drew to a close, participants focused in on the rationale for a regional actor. A regional panel of experts proposed a way forward that reflected the sense of the forum participants. The panel discussed the following reasons for why a concerted approach to road safety is necessary in the region. • The nations of the Latin American and Caribbean region can stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on our roads by working together. • However, we do not have a mechanism to promote collaboration and manage our joint projects in road safety. • Therefore, we must work together to develop a regional committee that will draw upon all relevant sectors of government, civil society, and the private sector to promote a region-wide approach to road safety. We must improve our road safety information and surveillance data systems, effectively share road safety knowledge and best practices across the region, and promote harmonization of laws for road safety. They proposed a transitional commission that would develop this regional committee drawing from all relevant sectors of government, civil society, and the private sector to: strengthen the capacity to collect, use, and share road safety information throughout the region; promote harmonization of laws for road and vehicle safety; and share road safety information and best practices across the region. They proposed that the institutional members of the transitional commis- sion would include ECLAC, PAHO, IADB, the World Bank, and the FIA Foundation. Additional members from Latin American and Caribbean countries, NGOs, acade- mia, and the private sector would also be asked to join. The Forum participants also resoundingly supported the Declaration of San Jose and called for a future ministerial meeting and another regional road safety stakeholders' forum to discuss progress in the region and vote on the proposal from the transitional commission for a new regional road safety committee. Finally, participants also expanded the membership and continued the mandate of the five working groups. To convey the IADB's strong sense of support for the regional road safety effort, Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the IADB, sent a videotaped message to personally thank the participants for moving this important issue forward, and stressed the importance of working together on this issue. The highlight of the Forum was a moving speech by Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1987). President Arias also signed the Declaration of San José on behalf of Costa Rica and shared with a standing- room only crowd the important role that road safety played in the policies and the lives of the Costa Rican people. He also noted how important this problem is for the region, claiming 122,000 lives every year, and hoped that collectively the region could start to save these lives and assure a richer future for its people. The Road Ahead: Combining Scientific Knowledge, Social Strategy, and Political Will Recently, President Óscar Arias Sánchez, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, officially agreed to serve as Honorary Chairman of the Transitional Commission for Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Commission has proposed to work together during 2007, with advocacy and capacity-building support from the Global Road Safety Forum, to develop a regional coordinating mechanism that will draw upon all relevant sectors of government, civil society, and the private sec- tor to promote a region-wide approach to road safety. President Arias' leadership represents an extraordinary opportunity for progress in road safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. Because of the resounding support for the transitional commission, the FIA Foundation has agreed to support the work of a temporary Executive Summary 15 secretariat for the Transitional Commission that will move the San José action items forward. The Automobile Club of Chile is contributing office space and administrative support to the transitional commission secretariat in Santiago, Chile. The secretariat and members of the commission will continue the essential work of proposing and widely vetting a “We are running out of time.” proposal for a new regional road safety coalition or committee; gath- –President Óscar Arias Sánchez ering signatures for the Declaration of San José from heads of state, ministers, and stakeholders from all nations in the region; and preparing for the Second Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum. The working groups will work closely with the secretariat to build political will throughout the region, develop surveillance standards and data systems that unite the region, form knowledge sharing networks, create effective marketing campaigns and communications strategies, and raise awareness of the importance of safe designs and assessment of roadways in Latin America and the Caribbean. The stakeholders strongly believe that these efforts will address and reverse the growing road safety crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean. With the support of President Óscar Arias Sánchez and the institutional members of the Transitional Commission, the secretariat and stakeholders will work to convince other Latin American and Caribbean leaders to move forward with road safety plans and strategies in their countries as well as commit much needed resources for road safety within the region. As the Transitional Commission for Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean works to define their organizational structure and governance, to build partnerships among various sectors, and reverse the cur- rent deadly trend in road traffic injuries and deaths, we must continue to hear the words of President Óscar Arias Sánchez, “we are running out of time”. The Transitional Commission is another step forward in a multi-year regional road safety initiative Regional Road Safety 1st Transitional Committee Regional Regional Commission (Organization) IADB PAHO Planning Stakeholders Brasilia Meetings Meeting Forum Brasilia Brasilia Santiago San José 2007 1998 2004, 2005 2006 2006 Transitional Commission Membership: Transitional Commission Objectives: Transitional Commission Outcomes: Honorary Chair: Óscar Arias • Represent all relevant sectors • Develop and vet proposal for PAHO • Promote a region-wide approach to regional committee ECLAC road safety • Mobilize political will by collecting • Strengthen regional information government signatures for the World Bank Declaration of San José systems IADB • Organize 2nd Stakeholders Forum to • Promote harmonization of laws for FIA Foundation road and vehicle safety adopt proposal for permanent (others from Latin America and regional committee • Share road safety knowledge and Caribbean representing NGOs, best practices Governments, and academia) 16 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean C hampions for Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean Óscar Arias Sánchez President of the Republic of Costa Rica A Human Dimension to Our Roads It is a great honor for me to act as your host. This forum is a conspicuous demonstration that finally, we Latin Americans understand that we should address our shared problems togeth- er. The interest of each of our countries in preserving the lives and safety of our people has brought us here today and we must commit ourselves to action. As we all know, motor vehicles have changed human life. When, in 1908 Henry Ford introduced his “Model T”, few could predict that it was the beginning of a new era that would transform industry, trade, and daily life beyond all recognition. In terms of efficiency, the benefits of the automotive era are unquestionable and irreversible. However they have not been without cost. Every day we pay a heavy and increasing environ- mental price with the emissions of more than 600 million motor vehicles. We also pay a high price in death and injuries. Throughout the world, one million two hundred thousand peo- ple die each year in road crashes, while 50 million are injured. Today, more than three thousand people will die on the roads. Apart from the enormous physical, emotional and psy- chological damage that road crashes cause, there is obviously a very high economic cost to society for our carelessness behind the wheel. Most fatal injuries from road crashes occur to those between 15 and 44 years of age who are often the sole or principal sources of income for their households. It is estimated that on average, deaths and injuries on the roads cost countries around 2% of their gross domestic product. This is an unacceptable price for any country, but especially for poor nations like ours. Violence on the roads does not affect everyone equally. While developed countries have seen a gradual fall in deaths and injuries on the roads, the least developed countries have seen these numbers rise. The most vulnerable groups vary from region to region: in developed countries the majority of fatalities are among vehicle occupants. In Asia, however, they are cyclists and motorcyclists. In Africa and South America, it is pedestrians and users of public transport who are the worst affected. As we see, the problem has many facets, and so must the solutions put for- ward be multi-faceted and knit together a variety of sectors. This makes regional Champions for Road Safety 17 efforts such as this one very relevant. Perhaps the most notable example of this is provided by the European Union, whose Parliament is promoting a European Road Safety Action Program in an attempt to reduce by half the number of road accident victims in member countries by 2010. Similarly, Latin America must adopt integral regional strategies aimed at combating danger on the roads. In other words, we must put “The problem has many into practice preventive and punitive policies that are applicable to all road users: drivers, pedestrians and passengers. This also means carrying facets, and so must the out surveillance and monitoring driver behavior; on vehicle equipment solutions be multi-faceted and maintenance; and on the improvement, maintenance, and signaling and knit together a of road networks. Above all it means educating and raising the awareness of citizens about the importance of respecting traffic regulations. variety of sectors.” But regional strategies will do little without a commitment to –Óscar Arias Sánchez, improved road safety from each and every nation. And when I speak of commitment, I am speaking of concrete results, quantifiable objectives, President, Costa Rica and performance indicators. In this regard the Government of Costa Rica is implementing a Strategic National Road Safety Plan in an attempt to reduce road deaths by more than 20%, from 14 to 11 fatalities for each 100,000 inhabitants, before the year 2011. The current administration has also given its backing to a bill by the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Ms. Karla Gonzalez, which would increase fines for traffic offences by 1300%, because we are convinced that obvious and avoidable causes of road crashes, such as high speed, alcohol and drug use, imprudent overtaking, and failure to use seat belts, should be clearly and heavily penalized by the State. Costa Rica defines itself above all, as a country at peace. It is a country which is proud of its democracy, of having abolished its army, of creating dialogue and tolerance as its chosen means of living our lives and resolving conflicts. In con- trast, it seems that once behind the wheel, Costa Ricans are transformed—like Dr. Jekyll after drinking his potion—into completely different creatures: contemptu- ous of the law, unconcerned about the consequences of their actions, and indifferent to suffering and death. You may say that I am exaggerating. Nevertheless, the figures are com- pelling. According to the most recent UN Human Development Report, 1,059 Costa Ricans were the victims of intentional homicide between 2001 and 2004. But this figure, alarming and increasing as it is, pales by comparison with the number of deaths in traffic crashes: more than 2,500 in this same period. In other words, for each intentional homicide in Costa Rica, there are 2.5 deaths resulting from traf- fic accidents. We are not the only country in the region with this phenomenon. According to figures from the World Health Organization, at the end of the last decade a list of the ten nations with the highest rates of death from traffic crashes included six Latin American countries, including the first three. In this aspect, our region is the world's most violent. We must be very clear about one thing: road safety shares much more than just the word with citizens' safety. Deaths and injuries on the road are also expres- sions of the violence that is having such a dramatic impact on society; they are problems of public health, but above all, the problem is one of preserving our phys- ical and emotional integrity as citizens. Just as insecurity grows, so insecurity on the roads has to do with the weakening of the ability of state and community to prevent and manage violence. This is aggravated by the fact that in contrast to the more traditional expressions of violence, such as assault and theft, road crashes cannot be addressed by individuals through the use of private security mecha- nisms. In this matter, more than in almost any other, the State cannot be replaced as the promoter of preventive and punitive public policies. Therefore, the mission before you all is a mission of peace. That mission is to reclaim the roads for our children, for our families and for everyone. It is to help 18 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean us to recover a more civilized, more respectful form of living, better “Deaths and injuries on the protection for lives in our cities. It is a mission linked to the human face of our lives. road are also expressions of The World Health Day 2004, dedicated to road safety, used the violence that is having the following motto: “Road safety is no accident!” This is the message such a dramatic impact on we must embrace in meetings such as this which ends today; this is the proclamation that each one of you must take back to your coun- society…Therefore, the tries: road safety is not an accidental result of our national policies. mission before you all is a Road safety cannot be achieved by chance, on the contrary, it mission of peace.” requires an enormous effort on the part of governments, companies, research centers and academics and, of course, citizens. It requires –Óscar Arias Sánchez, planning and methodical work. Above all it requires the courage to President, Costa Rica adopt ambitious commitments and face great challenges. I hope, therefore, that the hours of reflection and effort that you have shared during this Road Safety Forum will bear fruit and that the results of this exchange and the work which has yet to be done will trans- form life on our roads, from Monterrey in Mexico to Ushuaia in Argentina—the length and breadth of our land where civilization is so keenly sought. HRH Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards Working Together to Make Roads Safe We here are all agreed that to reduce road fatalities and injuries we need effective action at many levels—from government, from industry, from NGOs, and from communities themselves. Action is required nationally, especially in the developing world, and internationally through the United Nations and its relevant agencies, donor governments and the development banks. The automobile clubs have a real responsibility in this work and I am delighted that so many are represent- ed at this important meeting. The FIA American Congress held here as well as the First Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Stakeholders Forum are vital steps in this process. Since I first started my road safety awards in the United Kingdom in 1987, I have been impressed by the unstinting work of so many indi- viduals often struggling with limited resources to bring the government's attention to the terrible toll of death and injury on our roads. For some years I have been particularly keen that my awards should be available more widely, particularly to recog- nize the essential work of many 'lone voices' in the developing world where, as we all know, there is a huge challenge. I am therefore pleased to once again pay trib- ute to the WHO and World Bank, who were winners of my International Award in 2005 for the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, a landmark instru- ment in putting road safety onto the global political radar. Champions for Road Safety 19 In just a few short years much has been achieved. The UN Road Safety Collaboration, led by WHO, and the new World Bank Global Road Safety Facility now provide an institutional framework for effective action. “Make Roads Safe”, the report of the Commission for Global Road Safety published earlier this year, provides a compelling argument for why governments should provide the resources to enable this action on global road safety. I also know just how much the FIA Foundation has done to support, encourage and lead these initiatives. I am sure that you will all agree that its work since its creation only five years ago has been quite remarkable. My thanks go not just to David Ward and his excellent team, but to Max Mosley for having the fore- sight to lead in the establishing of the FIA Foundation and for his unstinting work in supporting the cause of road safety. Before you begin the working sessions of this regional forum, I would like to offer a few pointers for your discussion based on my own experience of working in road safety since 1987, when I first established my award scheme. The first lesson I have learned is the need for strong government leadership—In the United Kingdom we have been fortunate to have “The practical challenge retained such commitment even through many changes in government is to translate this over the last 20 years—in fact many former road safety ministers and government officials still support my award scheme and act as advisers knowledge into policy and to RoadSafe. Better still each successive government has built on its pre- programs and to build the decessor's plans and improved their strategic approach to road safety. political and financial The second lesson is the need to develop a cadre of well informed support for their and capable officials and practitioners. Transport officials, researchers, the police and engineers as well as those responsible for both public and implementation.” individual education need professional support. The many institutions –HRH Prince Michael of Kent and professional bodies need to have strong, well founded development programs in place to ensure that knowledge is passed on and good ideas not lost. The need to share and exchange knowledge is an essential part of this process. Equally important is the need to promote and encourage good practice. I am delighted to be able to offer the services of RoadSafe to support this process. The third lesson is the need for well planned and well resourced research. Despite the clear understanding we have about the essential steps needed to make roads safe, the fact is that improved safety results from an understanding of the complex interaction between the driver, the road, and the vehicle. Without good quality research which is well coordinated and with the results shared, it is unlike- ly that rapid progress can be made. Here again there is a need for a platform to share and disseminate this research—the UK Global Transport Knowledge Partnership should be a vehicle for this working closely with the UN Collaboration and the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility. Finally the last lesson is that for real development to take place initiatives need to be conceived and delivered in partnership. They must be well planned with sound engineering underpinned by well developed laws which are effectively enforced, and above all good public understanding and sympathy which requires effective public education programs. Again I believe that the Por Amor Costa Rica Seat Belt Campaign is a first class example of this partnership approach, which was a collaborative venture led by the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) in association with the National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI), the National Insurance Institute of Costa Rica (INS), the Automobile Club of Costa Rica, and, indeed, the FIA Foundation. As many of you will know, following a challenge to the law in the 1990s seat belt use had fallen to 24 percent. Yet by the summer of 2004, through a com- bination of new legislation, awareness campaigns, and effective enforcement, seat belt compliance rose to 82 percent in Costa Rica. 20 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean I believe that regional forums like this one provide a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and to exchange ideas and programs that have been proven to work, such as the Por Amor Costa Rica Seatbelt Campaign. Of course the practical challenge is to translate this knowledge into policy and programs and to build the political and financial support for their implementation. Luis Alberto Moreno President of the Inter-American Development Bank Road Safety—A Priority for the IADB This Forum is a fundamental step for strengthening cooperation among the different stakeholders in planning and implementing corrective measures aimed at reducing and preventing deadly road crashes. We at the IADB are very pleased to join you and co-sponsor this forum along with the National Road Safety Council of Costa Rica, the UN Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan-American Health Organization, the World Bank, the FIA Foundation and the Global Road Safety Forum. Financing of road projects is an activity in which we have wide experience at the Bank. More and more, these include specif- ic components regarding road safety. In fact, during the last 15 years we have approved more than 66 road development and improvement projects, most of which included road safety compo- nents, for a total amount of approximately US$ 4.6 billion dollars. Likewise, we have promoted research and dialogue on the institutional, technical and educational aspects of road safe- ty. Together with the Department of Transportation of Brazil (DENATRAN), we met with regional representatives some years ago to insist on the need to increase road safety measures in order to minimize road traffic injuries and death as well as to start a comprehensive review of the most important problems in the region. This collaboration resulted in an IADB-sponsored road safety workshop held in December 1999 in Brasilia as well as the launch of the IADB-sponsored book, Traffic Safety. We also actively particpated in the UN General Assembly road safety session as well as the First UN Global Road Safety Stakeholders Forum, held at the United Nations Headquarters in 2004. Since then, we have promoted dialogue and improved safety components in our road projects. Challenges in road safety are not new. Several studies, such as the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, published by the World Health Organization and the World Bank in 2004, show the urgency of doubling our efforts in this area. In 2000, Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest rate in the world for the number of casualties per 100,000 inhabitants (26 deaths/100,000 inhabitants). If measures are not taken to reverse this situation, the projections indicate an even higher rate of casualties for this region in 2020 (31 deaths/100,000 inhabitants). Let's not forget that road safety is a legitimate topic for public policy. Therefore, we can and must make use of appropriate analytical and operational instruments and technologies to provide a quick response to today's prevalent problems. Issues related to road safety can be grouped into four dimensions: 1. Assessment of needs. Champions for Road Safety 21 2. Risk mitigation in existing roads and highways. 3. Prevention by institutionalizing preventive measures in road networks, the introduction of appropriate road designs such as “intelligent road systems”, and market solutions such as insurance. 4. Rapid response in addressing the emergency medical needs resulting from by road crashes. While we have made much progress in these four dimensions here at the Bank, in most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, there is still much work to do to improve road safety in a sustainable way. As it is indicated in the Forum agenda, we must act quickly in order to have a rapid, visible, short- and long-term impact in reducing the number of people who die or suffer from road traffic injuries. And we must consider a series of approaches that involve governments and citizens, as well as social institutions, and the private sector (including insurance companies). “I hope after you Today, in the region, the demand for investments in urban and return…you will continue rural transportation infrastructure is growing. At the Bank, we acknowl- interacting with the Bank edge we have an important mission by providing support to countries in relation to their investments in the transportation sector. to design and finance We are greatly pleased by the effort made here at the Forum to projects that help Make develop a shared data system on road traffic injuries and road safety Roads Safe in our information that will help assess the results of investments made in the transportation sector related to the protection of human lives. I hope we region…and turn our continue working together to quickly turn our collective knowledge into collective knowledge into shared results. For this reason, we have at your disposal numerous ana- shared results.” lytical, technical and operational resources as well as financing facilities. We should not miss the opportunity provided by this Forum to –President Luis Moreno, forge consensus on priorities and plans for minimizing the number of IADB road traffic injuries and deaths. This constitutes the basis for national road safety action plans to be adopted by each country and adapted to each country's needs. I hope after you return to your countries you will continue interacting with the Bank in order to design and finance projects that help Make Roads Safe in our region. We are sure Latin American and Caribbean countries and the global com- munity are ready to act together according to the World Report and its recommendations to provide greater road safety to all people in the region, espe- cially to those, who are most vulnerable. Once again, I like to thank President Óscar Arias for his leadership in road safety advocacy. A great political vision is required to give this issue the impor- tance it deserves. 22 Making Roads Safe in Latin America and the Caribbean Declaration of San José: We Must Stop the Epidemic of Deaths on Our Roads Background: We are running out of time. R Road traffic injuries constitute a major but neglected public health problem that claims 1.2 million victims a year, equivalent to the disease burden of tuberculosis or malaria, with con- siderable social and economic costs of up to 1.5% of GDP, or more than (US) $20 billion for the region. The tremendous burden of death and disability resulting from road traffic crash- es falls primarily on low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the loss of the family breadwinner through death or disability often forces the families of these victims into poverty. Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LAC) had the highest average deaths per capita in the world for the year 2000 (26 deaths/100,000 people) and the highest projected rate for the year 2020 (31 deaths/100,000 people), in the absence of any further action. This suggests that by 2020 the projected deaths per capita in LAC could be up to 6 times higher than the current rate in the countries with the best rates in the world (UK, Sweden, and The Netherlands). This is a very preventable problem. The World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, a landmark pub- lication prepared jointly by the World Bank and the World Health Organization, provides a framework for addressing this problem and the basis for a common approach to a regional road safety policy. Road traffic injuries have been recognized as an extensive and serious global health problem by the United Nations (UN General Assembly Resolution 58/9) and by the World Health Assembly (WHA res- olutions 27.59 1974 and 57.10 2004). The member states of these organizations are already on record as having declared this a global epidemic whose solution requires coordinated international efforts. Important groundwork has already been prepared by previous regional efforts of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Standards for enhancing road and vehicle safety have been developed and implemented in the devel- oped countries; the World Health Organization's UN Collaboration is helping to develop best practice manuals; and a number of Latin American countries have developed national plans and programs for road safety. We have an opportunity to build upon these important works by developing regional road and vehicle safety standards and by implementing evidence-based interventions that have already been shown to be cost-effective for reducing the impact of road traffic crashes. Our response requires a coordinated and multi-sectoral approach, from all relevant parts of govern- ment (including transportation, health, law enforcement, education, finance, and urban planning), civil society (including advocacy organizations, academia, foundations, automobile clubs, and professional organizations), and the private sector (including road builders and road maintenance organizations, automobile manufacturers, motor vehicle product manufacturers, insurance companies, and commer- cial road users). Our interventions must also mobilize all the relevant sectors to cover all three phases of road traffic injury control: prevention of crashes and injuries in the first place; provision of prompt Declaration of San José 23 and high-quality acute care to those injured in traffic crashes; and the provision of rehabilitation and long-term care to those who have been injured in order to minimize disabilities. Viewing this situation with great concern, we, the undersigned: 1. Declare that it is both urgent and important that all the nations of the Latin American and Caribbean region work together to stop the growing epidemic of deaths and injuries on our roads. Road safety must become a health, transportation, law enforcement, education, and development pri- ority for our nations and the region. 2. Urge all nations of the region to implement the recommendations of the World Report and to use this as the framework for addressing road safety nationally, regionally, and globally. Attention must be paid to the principle risk factors identified in the World Report: lack of safe infrastructure, non-use of seat-belts and child restraints, non-use of helmets, alcohol use, and excessive speed. 3. Urge that resources be committed to road safety commensurate with the need and magni- tude of the problem. Development banks should lead the way by requiring that at least 10% of their investments for road infrastructure development be applied to road safety programs. The final results should be audited by independent parties using objectively constructed road safety audits or road assessment programs. 4. Urge that resources be committed to the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility by the industrialized nations so that the Facility can reach a total investment of at least (US) $300,000,000 by 2015 so that there will be funds available to the countries in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean to develop road safety management capacity, catalyze increased investment, and accelerate knowledge transfer. 5. Commit to work together to develop a regional committee that will: a. Represent all relevant sectors of government, civil society, and the private sector, b. Promote a region-wide approach to road safety, c. Strengthen the capacity to collect and use road safety information throughout the region, d. Promote harmonization of laws for road and vehicle safety, and e. Share road safety information and best practices across the region. 6. Commit to mobilize the active participation of regional ministers of transportation, health, law enforcement, education, and others to set and achieve measurable targets for road safety and traf- fic-injury prevention in the states of the region. Karla González Óscar Arias Sánchez Mark Rosenberg Minister of Public Works and President of the Republic of Costa Rica Executive Director, Transportation, Costa Rica Global Road Safety Forum