On the Road with ASIRT . ----------------------------------------------Summer 2022
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Dear Friends,
Summer is fast drawing to a close, bringing with it both sadness and anticipation in our children and grandchildren. While they, no doubt, bemoan the fact that vacation is coming to an end, they are also, most likely filled with the excitement of returning to school to learn and laugh once again with friends and teachers. Laden with sharpened pencils, new backpacks, and lunch bags, they will board school buses, join carpools, mount bikes, drive or trudge on foot to and from school. No matter their means of transport, our children are far too often vulnerable road users.
Traffic collisions are the number one cause of death among children ages 5 to 19 in the United States and around the world. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, the growing epidemic of traffic injuries is devastating the next generation of children around the globe. The safety of young pedestrians, school zones and school buses are overlooked in many communities or even entire nations, and thousands of children are at risk on their way to and from school.
Keeping our children safe on the roads is a shared responsibility. Unless we act now, across the globe and in our own communities, the toll of traffic injuries will continue to grow, placing millions of children at risk. Let us work to reduce speed limits on neighborhood streets; insist on seat belt and helmet use; reduce driver and pedestrian distraction; properly install booster and child safety seats; place children 12 and under in rear vehicle seats; advocate for safe crosswalks, lighting, and sidewalks; limit high-risk driving situations for young drivers; and when driving, stop at a safe distance away from the school bus when the stop arm is out and flashing red lights are on.
Together we can create a road safe world for our children as they learn, work and play.
Warmly,
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Rochelle Sobel
Founder and President
ASIRT
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ASIRT Invited to Address United Nations General Assembly |
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ASIRT President Rochelle Sobel delivered the keynote speech at the multi-stakeholder panel of the High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Improving Global Road Safety at the United Nations in New York
on June 30–July 1.
In his letter of appreciation to Sobel, Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations, General Assembly stated, “I thank you for delivering an inspiring keynote address….The exemplary work of the Association for Safe International Road Travel will be critical in delivering on the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.”
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Vision Zero: How Do We Get There?
Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill
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(L-R) ASIRT Executive Director Cathy Silberman, Rep. Richard Hudson and Elyse Keefe, University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center |
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Rochelle Sobel opens the Briefing attended by Congressional staffers, ASIRT supporters and students |
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Dr. Nino Paichadze, Milken Institute School of Public Health moderates. On screen is Nicholas Oyler, City of Memphis, TN |
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Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), co-chairs of the U.S. House of Representatives Global Road Safety Caucus, in partnership with ASIRT, held a briefing to discuss the epidemic of road crash fatalities and disabilities as a major public health concern. The briefing invited an expert panel to discuss ways to apply the Vision Zero concept to reduce road injuries and fatalities at the global, national, state and local levels. Read more about the event and view Rep. Hudson's press release and Dr. Paichadze's overview.
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Rochelle Sobel Interviewed on NETSTalk Now Podcast
Rochelle Sobel was the featured speaker on NETSTalk Now: Driving Change, a Road Safety Podcast for the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, which aired in July.
NETS is an employer-led organization working to advance road safety for employees and their families as well as the communities in which they live and work. NETS members include among others, major companies and organizations from the pharmaceutical, insurance, risk management, automotive, transport, delivery services, utilities, technology and infrastructure industries concerned with individual driver and fleet safety.
Sobel addressed several issues, including the key factors that contribute to crashes resulting in death and injury and how these crashes can be prevented, the ways in which the private sector can play a role in advancing road safety, and the tools and resources that ASIRT provides for corporations and how they can best be utilized to keep their employees and their families safe when traveling both on and off the job. Listen to the podcast.
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** Save the Date for the 2022 ASIRT In-Person Gala **
Racing Toward Zero: A Road Safe World
Tuesday, November 15, Washington, DC
Keynote Speaker and Honoree:
David Strickland
Vice President
Global Regulatory Affairs and Transportation Technology Policy
General Motors
Honorees:
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Emma MacLennan
Director
Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST)
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Adrian Lund
Former President
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and
the Highway Loss Data Institute
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Emma MacLennan
Director
Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST)
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Jill Bashein Aharon and Stacy Mensh Schlactus
Community Leaders
Gala Chairs: Miriam Cohen and Tsippora Rosenberg.... Auction Chair: Isabel Einzig
Sponsorship opportunities are now available. Click for details.
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ASIRT Presents at CIMMYT 7th Fair on Management Awareness
In June, ASIRT offered an overview and global road safety travel recommendations to the audience of CIMMYT's (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) Risk Management Unit’s 7th Fair on Risk Management Awareness.
The Fair’s objective is to share important information about general issues of occupational health and safety, emergency preparedness, and travel and security to promote a safe and healthy work environment. ASIRT highlighted the general road safety issue and presented issues related specifically to the Asian Pacific and African regions where CIMMYT experts travel. Learn more about CIMMYT and ASIRT's RSRs. Contact asirt@asirt.org to discuss including road safety in your training classes or webinars.
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ASIRT Road Safety Reviews Updated
Recently updated RSRs now available in the ASIRT library of reports include Ethiopia, Mexico, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman and Uganda. ASIRT subscribers (corporations, colleges, universities, humanitarian organizations and nonprofits, as well as individuals) can access the RSRs through their portal. Free sample reports can be download after registering on the ASIRT website.
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Focus On: ASIRT Board Member Maria Vegega
Dr. Maria Vegega is a Road Safety and Injury Prevention Consultant. She retired in 2018 after 38 years with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Over the course of her career, she held several management positions in both the program and research offices and served as Policy Advisor to senior NHTSA executives. She ended her career as Chief of the Occupant Protection Division, where she managed a staff responsible for developing program approaches to increase the use of safety belts and child restraint systems and reduce distracted and drowsy driving. Prior to her appointment to the Occupant Protection Division, she served in several management positions where she was responsible for behavioral research and programs addressing topics such as alcohol and drug impaired driving; speeding; pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle safety and school bus safety. Continues.
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Road Safety in the News
In Forbes, Tanya Mohn reminds us that in 2021 drivers killed an average of 20 pedestrians every day.
Forbes also reports on the UN effort to tackle carnage on the world’s roads.
What a concept—the streets don’t inherently belong to cars: a paradigm shift is needed to improve road safety. The MIT Press Reader presents the history behind sharing the roads.
KSLTV reports that Salt Lake City is a role model in road safety and protecting its citizens on the roads.
Changes to major Austin intersections leading to fewer crashes is highlighted by KVUE.
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