New approaches to improve road safety : report of a WHO study group, meeting held in Geneva from 14 to 18 December 1987

1. Introduction -- 2. The basic philosophy for the organization of traffic safety work -- 3. Constraints on progress -- 4. Assessing priorities and promoting road safety -- 5. Education and training as requirements for progress -- 6. Research and experimentation -- 7. Resources -- 8. Conclusions and recommendations -- References -- Annexes

Outlines new approaches to road safety based on a review of worldwide experiences in the prevention of road accidents. Addressed to national authorities, the book emphasizes the value of practical lessons that can be drawn from recent experiences, including the need for a problem-oriented design of safety measures and programmes, the importance of adopting a multisectoral approach, and the advantages of decentralized policies supported by involvement at the local level. Specific preventive measures, such as speed limits, safety belts, vehicle standards, driver education, and alcohol regulations, are also considered. The first half of the book provides a critical analysis of current accident prevention policies and the reasons why they so often fail to reduce the number of accidents and deaths. Common problems identified range from the shortage of safety lobbies with the power to influence decision-makers to the simple fact that accidents are generally poor vote-catching material. Readers are also reminded that traffic accidents are basically dysfunctions of the road and transport systems, and that citizens cannot be expected to be the sole initiators or implementors of safety policies. The second half of the book concentrates on practical information of use in assessing and designing accident prevention programmes. A review of policies on road traffic safety in selected industrialized countries covers the use of such measures as speed limits, alcohol regulations, safety belts and helmets, driver education and vehicle inspection as well as a number of measures and safety initiatives undertaken by local authorities, particularly in cities. The report concludes with an overview of safety problems and trends in 32 developing countries, where the rapidly growing number of accidents justifies particular concern.