AIT supports PIARC in the dissemination of road safety for Low and Middle Income Countries
Road crashes continue to be a major cause of death and serious injury for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). At global level, 90 per cent of traffic deaths occur in these countries (three times higher than in High Income Countries).
The overall goal of the PIARC Global Road Safety Knowledge Exchange project is to increase road safety in LMICs by providing them with easier access to knowledge developed by PIARC (Permanent International Association of Road Congresses – World Road Association). There is an expansive amount of knowledge (in the form of reports, online manuals, proceedings, webinars etc) that contains relevant information for authorities and road maintainers. However, it may not always be easily accessible or found by practitioners. The PIARC Global Road Safety Knowledge Exchange project aims at promoting international knowledge sharing through appropriate implementation tools (presentations, videos, factsheets, webinars, key messages, newsletters etc). These should reflect the previous work of PIARC and be modern, appealing and appropriate. The project, in line with the objectives of the PIARC Road Safety Technical Committee 3.1, focuses on spreading road safety knowledge to LMICs.
The basis of the project is the in-depth analysis of more than 50 PIARC technical reports, proceedings of seminars, conferences, case studies, workshops, manuals and webinars with the aim of providing insights to road authorities and other relevant stakeholders into several road safety areas. The PIARC documentation is reviewed and analysed considering eight major road safety areas, based on the Safe System Approach, namely management, data, speed, vulnerable road users, human factors, infrastructure, vehicles and tunnels. The outcomes of the literature review are used to produce a wide range of dissemination material (factsheets, presentations, messages) regarding the eight road safety topics.
The next step in this project will include a knowledge sharing campaign, with dissemination activities through newsletters, social media and web items. The web items will involve the promotion of the project results by PIARC experts through key messages and links to presentations and videos for each road safety area.
Finally, the knowledge sharing activities will consist of the organization of two live webinars, where international road safety experts will present the project results and recommendations for each road safety topic.
AIT project manager Isabela Erdelean concludes: “This project is highly relevant for us because the results can be used by stakeholders in countries where road safety is really needed. It is of great importance for us that we can support PIARC in this activity, providing practitioners in LMICs with recommendations for safety measures that will really make a difference. Moreover, we have the opportunity to raise awareness and increase visibility on a wide variety of road safety topics for a global audience.”
