The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Transport Department and some private companies, hosted a road safety conference. The two-day event ended here on Wednesday.
About 1.25 million people die in accidents and up to 50 million are left injured or disabled, as per UN statistics. The Ministry said 413 people die daily in accidents in India. Approximately 54,400 motorists are killed every year, representing 35% of all fatalities on the country’s roads, followed by 15,746 pedestrians (11%) and 2,528 cyclists (2%). These traffic-related deaths and injuries have unparalleled health and socio-economic implications on society. As part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, UN member states have set a goal to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2020.
Estrella Merlos, project lead, road safety initiative, UNITAR, said: “At the core of UNITAR’s work towards improvement of road safety is to build awareness, promote education, train those who implement policies and instil a sense of civic responsibility, while fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships. This conference has brought together partners from both private and public sectors for an open discussion on concrete and executable strategies that will contribute to improve Gurugram’s road safety.”
