Sesame Street/UN Team for Road Safety

Independent Films, Kids, Cars

Sesame Street's "Grover" is star of collaborative road safety PSA with United Nations!

On 11 May, dozens of countries around the world kicked off the first global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. From New Zealand to Mexico and the Russian Federation to South Africa, governments are committing to take new steps to save lives on their roads. The Decade seeks to prevent road
traffic deaths and injuries which experts project will take the lives of 1.9 million people annually by 2020.

SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Chan, Director- General of the World Health Organization (WHO):
“Road traffic crashes are tragedies, tragedies that throw families into despair and poverty.”

Road traffic injuries have become the leading killer of young people aged 15–29 years. Almost 1.3 million people die each year on the world's roads, making this the ninth leading cause of death globally. In addition to these deaths, road crashes cause between 20 million and 50 million non-fatal injuries every year. In many countries, emergency care and other support services for road traffic victims are inadequate. These avoidable injuries overload already stretched health services.

SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Chan, Director- General of the World Health Organization (WHO):
“It is time to turn the tide. The Decade of Action for Road Safety creates the political platform to scale up some well defined measures. Evidence tells us that these measures work and can save millions of lives.”

These measures are outlined in the Global Plan for the Decade and are immediately doable.

SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Etienne Krug, Director Injuries and Violence Prevention Department World Health Organization (WHO):
“We have a plan with clear objectives addressing all the important aspects of road safety, ranging from the management of road safety, to improving the road, the vehicles, people’s behaviour, particularly focusing on drink driving, speed, motorcycle helmets and seatbelts wearing and also improving trauma care services around the world.”

The Global Plan outlines steps towards improving the safety of roads and vehicles; enhancing emergency services; and building up road safety management generally. It also calls for increased legislation and
enforcement on using helmets, seat-belts and child restraints and avoiding drinking and driving and speeding. Today only 15% of countries have comprehensive laws which address all of these factors.

Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists collectively represent almost half of those killed on the world's roads. Young people are particularly vulnerable.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom:
“By 2015 road crashes will be the number one health burden for children over 5 years old in Developing countries. Now so much of this suffering could be prevented with basic action: wearing seat belts and motorcycle helmets; and implementing safe road design.”

Most of the progress has been made in the last few decades has been towards protecting people in cars. The Global Plan suggests measures that may afford these vulnerable groups protection – such as building cycle and foot-paths and separate motorcycle lanes or improving access to safe public transport.

If successfully implemented, the Global Plan's activities could save five million lives and prevent 50 million serious injuries over the course of the Decade.

Directors:

• Muhamed Sacirbey UNTV-WHO & Sesame Street

Producers:

• Susan Sacirbey