Road Safety Week focuses on pedestrians

(Vatican Radio) The Second UN Global Road Safety Week is underway, with a focus this year on pedestrian safety. Requested by the UN General Assembly, the Week aims at focusing attention on the need to protect pedestrians worldwide.

The Director of the World Health Organisation’s Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability, Dr. Etienne Krug explains that this is a major health and safety issue that has been overlooked. “More than 5,000 pedestrians are killed on the world’s roads each week,” he says.


”This is because their needs have been neglected for decades, often in favour of motorized transport.” Krug also points the benefits of walking as an activity and a lifestyle choice. “Walking is healthy,” he says, “but it needs to be made safe.” Road Safety Week is this year looking to help achieve the goal of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, which is to save 5 million lives worldwide. The Second UN Global Road Safety week opened on May sixth, and concludes on May 12^th. Listen: