The 22nd edition of the Transforming Transportation conference (“TT25”) was held at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on March 11-12, 2025. Co-hosted annually by the World Bank and the World Resources Institute (WRI), this year’s conference centered on the theme Driving Change, Delivering Solutions. GRSF played an active role throughout the event, ensuring that road safety remained a key priority and that the momentum from the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety—held just one month earlier and convened every five years—continued to drive progress.

Plenary Session: Road Safety Leadership Towards 2030

The plenary session Road Safety Leadership Towards 2030, underscored the essential role of leadership and governance in driving effective road safety interventions globally as the world reaches the midway point of the second UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Keynote speaker Benacer Boulaajoul, Director of Morocco’s National Road Safety Agency, highlighted the positive impact of the Marrakech Ministerial conference and emphasized the imperative to build on its successes and put the Marrakech Declaration into practice.

During the panel discussion, World Bank Vice President for People, Mamta Murthi, stressed the linkage between road safety and human development, stressing that safe roads are "essential infrastructure that protects human capital and enables sustainable development." Madrid's Head of Mobility Planning and Infrastructure, María Eugenia López, emphasized her city’s innovative use of urban redesign strategies that prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users, transforming city spaces into safer and more accessible environments.

Malta’s Minister for Transport, Infrastructure, and Public Works, Chris Bonett, emphasized the importance of comprehensive strategies that combine road safety education, enforcement, infrastructure upgrades, and incentives to shift road user behavior. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Road Safety Program Director, Kelly Larson, provided examples of road safety leadership globally and made the point that road safety education without enforcement is just “entertainment”, arguing for comprehensive approaches to road safety that are backed up by strong incentives.

The plenary concluded with a strong emphasis on cross-sector collaboration, strategic partnerships, and evidence-based solutions as pivotal for achieving significant, lasting reductions in road traffic fatalities.

Fireside Chat with Jean Todt

The plenary session on road safety was immediately followed by a “fireside chat” with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety and Formula One legend, Jean Todt. In the frank and open discussion, Jean Todt described road crash fatalities as a "crisis of pandemic proportions" that overwhelmingly affects developing countries. Drawing from his book, The Silent Pandemic on the Road, Todt emphasized communication, enforcement, and education as indispensable tools in curtailing road crashes.

Todt then turned his attention to the growing issue of motorcycle safety, highlighting the seeming paradox of motorcyclists wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 but neglecting helmets that could save their lives in the event of a crash. Todt applauded the government of Morocco’s decisive action following the Marrakech Ministerial, mandating that every motorcycle sold in Morocco include two UN standard helmets—a significant policy shift aimed at protecting vulnerable road users. Despite the magnitude of the challenge, Todt suggested that the Marrakech Ministerial and TT25 have catalyzed global leadership for concrete action—particularly from developing countries committed to making road safety an urgent public-health priority.

Motorcycle Safety: Innovative Approaches to a Global Crisis

Motorcycle safety emerged as a critical issue at TT25, with motorcycles now accounting for a third of global road traffic deaths. At the breakout session titled Motorcycle Safety: Growing Challenges, Innovative Solutions, moderator Said Dahdah, Program Manager of GRSF, framed the urgency of the discussion: “motorcycles are often viewed solely as a problem due to safety risks, but they also play a vital role in providing mobility and employment, particularly where public transportation falls short.” 

Benacer Boulaajoul, Director of Morocco’s National Road Safety Agency, highlighted the recent decision in his country, made at the Marrakech Ministerial, to provide two UN standard helmets with the purchase of every motorcycle, a policy expected to significantly improve rider safety. Segundo López, Head of Road Safety in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, made the point that “managing vehicle speeds and improving road design are the most effective ways to reduce motorcycle-related fatalities.”

Kristin Smith, Head of Global Road Safety Policy at Uber, discussed the role of technology in enhancing motorcycle safety, stating, “technology is a powerful tool in motorcycle safety. Our helmet detection feature is just one step—consistent enforcement and partnerships are essential to creating a safer environment for riders.” Sam Clark, Head of Programmes at Transaid, shared findings from a recent Transaid and FIA Foundation study examining health costs of motorcycle taxi crashes in Kenya, and called for the establishment of a helmet testing laboratory in East Africa to address substandard helmets.

Davis G. Mwamfupe, Mayor of Dodoma, Tanzania, provided insights on the current enforcement level of helmet standards and shared the most effective strategies for promoting helmet use and other safety measures among motorcyclists in Dodoma. Elizaveta Zeynalova, Senior Research Manager at Vital Strategies, shared motorcyclist behavioral insights that can enhance road safety campaigns and interventions, and underscored that motorcyclists’ understanding of the rationale behind strong motorcycle safety reforms reduces pushback and improves compliance.

Said Dahdah, Program Manager of GRSF at the World Bank, closed the session by capturing the collective consensus: “Achieving significant reductions in motorcycle fatalities requires coordination between governments, private companies, and civil society organizations.” Ultimately, addressing this growing crisis requires a Safe System approach, combining infrastructure improvements, speed management, and safety regulations.

Intelligent Speed Assistance: A Game-Changer for Safer Roads

Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is emerging as a key technology in speed management, offering a practical solution for reducing vehicle speeds, preventing road crashes, and improving environmental efficiency. With ISA now mandatory in the European Union for all new vehicles as of July 2024, the technology is gaining global momentum as a critical tool for improving road safety.

At the TT25 side event, Intelligent Speed Assistance: Transformational Technology for Speed Management, experts discussed the significant role of ISA in addressing the persistent issue of speeding, which contributes to a large percentage of road fatalities. David Ward, President Emeritus of Global NCAP, emphasized that “speed management is critical to reducing crashes and injuries. ISA is a game-changing technology that provides a real solution to the persistent problem of speeding.”

Speakers highlighted how ISA can be integrated into public transport systems and commercial vehicle fleets as a first step in a phased approach, eventually leading to broader adoption. Natalie Draisin Director of the North America Office of the FIA Foundation, pointed out that fleets hold significant buying power, adding, “as more fleets adopt ISA, we can achieve economies of scale and ultimately change the social norm around speeding.” This growing readiness for ISA is a positive sign for its broader acceptance in North America, where the technology is becoming a more integral part of the safety landscape.

In the second half of the event, Dipan Bose, Senior Transport Specialist at the World Bank, facilitated a dynamic discussion on the global acceleration of ISA deployment, emphasizing the urgent need for its implementation to reduce speeding-related road fatalities. Claudia Adriazola-Steil, Director of Health & Road Safety at the World Resources Institute, highlighted the dual benefits of ISA: "Integrating ISA into urban transport systems not only enhances road safety but also contributes to environmental sustainability through reduced emissions."

With ISA now a requirement in Europe and gaining momentum worldwide, it holds tremendous potential to not just reduce speeding—but to create safer and more sustainable streets and communities.