Poor quality data are major obstacle to improving road safety, says World Bank

Richard Scurfield is the leader of the transport sector of the World Bank's Transport and Urban Development Department

Who should be primarily responsible for road safety on a national and international level?

At the national level it is essential that there is a very high level of government commitment to tackling road safety, with strong support from all relevant agencies. These are generally numerous—hence in most countries it is necessary to establish a national road safety council to coordinate activities. All relevant agencies should be represented on the council—the road authorities, traffic police, education and health ministries, local governments, interested private companies and institutions, and groups representing citizens. At the international level we would like to see even closer collaboration among interested agencies, groups, and institutions, including the WHO and ourselves, with the active support of citizens' groups and the private sector.

Public transport is safer and more sustainable than private car travel, but the car predominates—how can we change this?

Good quality public transport services must be encouraged. It is almost always necessary to take active steps to dissuade people from using their cars. While this is difficult to achieve in practice, a good start can be made by introducing appropriate fuel taxes, parking charges and traffic management measures that give priority to public transport vehicles.

Because in most developing countries public transport is provided by the private sector, governments must create a supportive regulatory environment that promotes the provision of safe and attractive public transport services. Regrettably, in some countries the safety and security of public transport is itself a problem and a major deterrent to its use.

What are the main obstacles to promoting a scientific approach to road safety?

One of the major obstacles is the poor quality of data in many countries. The more we know about the causes of road accidents, the better able we will be to design and implement appropriate solutions. Reliable statistics are essential for effective research and the development of well founded national road safety strategies.

What do you think is the most important thing to do to improve road safety worldwide?

There needs to be a major worldwide effort to raise the awareness of the importance of road safety as a public health issue. This is increasingly recognised internationally, and examples are recent announcements of the WHO and the creation several years ago of the Global Road Safety Partnership—a voluntary association of business, civil, and governmental bodies, established with the support of the World Bank. At the national level, however, very few of our client countries have fully recognised the seriousness of the issue.