The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt, and Jean-Charles Decaux, co-CEO of JCDecaux, launched today a new UN Global Road Safety campaign to address road traffic crashes, which are the leading cause of death for people aged 5 to 29 around the world.
Road traffic crashes kill 1.35 million people every year and injure over 50 million, often for life. Developing countries account for 93% of the victims. The most vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) and the poor are disproportionately affected worldwide.
Over the next two years, the campaign will appear on billboards and in public areas in 80 countries worldwide thanks to a global partnership with JCDecaux. Displayed in about 1,000 cities, the campaign will be translated into 30 languages.
Contributing to the European Mobility Week
The campaign was launched today in Brussels during the European Mobility Week (16-22 September), with the participation of Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport. On this occasion, the campaign is on display in the streets of Brussels and at Brussels Airport, as well as in the streets of Liège, Antwerp and Lier.
The Special Envoy declared: "Road safety is not high enough on the political agenda in most countries. While we know the remedies to road crashes, action is lagging behind. With this campaign, together with the celebrities that are joining us, and our partners JCDecaux and Saatchi & Saatchi, we are trying to revert this and mobilize the political will that is needed to increase actions and financing to save millions of lives, in line with the objectives of the Decade of Action for Road Safety."
Speaking at the press conference of the launch, EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vãlean said: "During this year's European Mobility Week, around 3,000 cities from 50 countries will be encouraging their citizens to try out more sustainable ways of moving around. Walking and cycling are two such options. But sustainability must go hand-in-hand with safety, and sadly vulnerable road users are still over-represented in road fatality statistics: in the EU, pedestrians account for around 18% of fatalities, and cyclists for 9%. I welcome this global campaign to turn this around - to help us learn from each other, raise awareness of how to keep all road-users safe, and - ultimately - to save lives".
Jean-Charles Decaux, co-CEO of JCDecaux said: "We are very proud to partner with the United Nations and Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, to launch this international road safety campaign that's relevant to everyone. No matter how we travel, this important cause affects us all, from pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers to people using new forms of mobility or making shared trips. We can all play a part in reducing the terrible consequences faced by so many families around the world. This campaign underlines how our sustainable media can use its power and mass reach to raise awareness of the safety rules that must be respected at all times and the care that must be taken, in order to ensure a safe and pleasant public space for us all."
#MakeaSafetyStatement
Under the motto #MakeaSafetyStatement, the campaign gathers celebrities to encourage road users to adopt simple and effective rules to stay safe on the road.
The first participating celebrities include:
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Naomi Campbell, supermodel
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Ousmane Dembélé, football icon
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Patrick Dempsey, actor
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Novak Djokovic, tennis legend
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Didier Drogba, football legend
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Michael Fassbender, actor
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Julie Gayet, actress
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Charles Leclerc, F1 driver
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Marc Márquez, motorcycle racer
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Kylie Minogue, musician
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Youssou N'Dour, musician
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Mick Schumacher, F1 driver
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Michelle Yeoh, Oscar-winning actress & UNDP Goodwill ambassador
They #MakeaSafetyStatement to:
- wear a seat belt
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drive slow
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wear a helmet
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not text and drive
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not drive under the influence
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not drive tired
and call on fans, followers and the public to adopt the same habits.
