Publications

This manual provides guidance and evidence for decision-makers and practitioners that should lead to an increase in the use of vehicle occupant restraints, such as seat-belts for adults and car seats for babies and children. It draws on experience from countries that have succeeded in achieving and sustaining high levels of vehicle occupant restraint use, and builds on new evidence, including from low and middle-income countries.

Safe, quality helmets reduce the risk of death in a road crash by over six times, and reduce the risk of brain injury by up to 74%. Head trauma is the leading cause of death for riders, and motorcycles continue to proliferate rapidly. Yet the use of helmets in many low and middle-income countries remains low. 

The second edition of the Helmets Manual offers guidance to help decision makers and practitioners put in place the comprehensive set of laws, regulations and actions needed to increase the use of safe, quality helmets to save lives.  

This manual provides guidance for decision-makers and practitioners to reduce the prevalence of drink driving and associated road trauma. It draws on experience from countries that have succeeded in achieving and sustaining reductions in alcohol-related road trauma, and includes recommendations for developing and implementing drink driving legislation, and advice on how to monitor and evaluate progress. 

In developing countries with inadequate public transport and road infrastructure, motorcycles present a fast, cheap, and efficient transport alternative. Motorcycles are widely used in many African countries for personal and public transport, as well as for service delivery. In some African countries, motorized two and three-wheelers constitute the largest proportion of the motorized vehicle population. However, despite their benefits, motorcycles expose their riders and passengers to a high risk of serious injury or death in the event of crashes. Motorcycle safety is therefore a significant problem in Africa. On average, 22.5% of road traffic deaths in 2016 involved riders/passengers of two- and three-wheelers, according to the last data published by World Health Organization (WHO, 2018).

This research study presents comprehensive strategic recommendations on how to improve motorcycle safety in Africa. The study will serve as policy advice and technical assistance to the Bank’s regional member countries (RMCs). The study focuses on motorcycle safety conditions in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and Uganda, where the use of motorcycles for daily activities is reputedly high. Recommendations are predicated on an examination of the major causes of motorcycle crashes and injuries, as well as an extensive body of knowledge from various sources, notably:

• international literature and good practices on motorcycle safety;
• assessment of motorcycle crashes, regulations, risk exposure data, risk indicators in African countries (with more detailed analysis of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Uganda); and
• consultations with stakeholders.

This study is one part of a comprehensive study of lead road safety agencies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which is being conducted on a collaborative basis by the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the African Development Bank. This particular study is supported by UK Aid through the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF). It focuses on the case of Nigeria, a federal republic with three tiers of government - federal (central), state and local governments - and its single institutional model for road safety.

This report responds to the following questions:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of this model and what could be done to improve its’ efficiency and effectiveness?

• How efficient and effective is the “Single Organizational Model” institutional setup (both federal and state levels) in dealing with the road safety issues in Nigeria?

• Can this model be replicated in other LMICs and what are the factors that will determine the replicability of the model in those countries?

•  What are the steps in setting up “Single Organizational Model” institutions in LMICs?

Download the report to learn more!

RESOURCES ⌵︎

Presentation on key aspects

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ⌵︎

‘The “Single Organization Road Safety” Institutional Model, its Efficacy and Replicability’ Study is supported by UK Aid through GRSF. The Report was written by three main authors: Martin Small, Mustapha Azzouzi and Arpita Roy. The study was led by Farhad Ahmed (Senior Transport Specialist) with support from Md. Towshikur Rahman, who was responsible for the overall coordination.

This Road Safety Management Capacity Assessment (RSMCA) seeks to gain a broad understanding of the Government of Vanuatu's road safety management capacity to support its plans to improve road safety outcomes throughout the country. The RSMCA follows the seven critical road safety institutional management functions (Bliss and Breen 2013) to identify key challenges and provide recommendations for improvement in road safety management, and similarly addresses the Safe System pillars for the interventions level. The seven institutional management functions include: results focus, coordination, legislation, finance and resource allocation, promotion and advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, and research and development of knowledge transfer.

The Safe System pillars include road safety management, safe roads and mobility, safe vehicles, safe road users, post-crash care, and safe speeds. The RSMCA’s alignment with both the road safety institutional management functions and the Safe System Approach in turn aims to help the Government of Vanuatu to prioritize targeted next steps to address road crash death and serious injury in the country.

Nearly 30% of all road traffic deaths reported to WHO involve powered two- and three-wheeled vehicles, such as motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and electrical bikes (e-bikes). As these vehicles become increasingly widespread, particularly in low-and middle-income countries, the proportion of deaths involving them is increasing. 

The second edition of the Powered- Two and Three-Wheeler Safety Manual offers guidance to help decision makers and practitioners put in place the comprehensive set of laws, regulations and actions needed to save lives. Rooted in new case studies and evidence, including from low- and middle-income countries, it includes guidelines on developing safer roads, ensuring safer mobility for all road users, vehicle safety standards, and actions to improve emergency responses to crashes.

Cycling has many health and environmental benefits. Yet every year 41 000 cyclists die in road traffic-related crashes worldwide. Many leave their homes as they would on any normal day – for school, work, worship, or meeting friends – never to return. Millions more people are injured in road traffic-related crashes while cycling, some of whom become permanently disabled. These incidents cause much suffering and grief, as well as economic hardship for families and loved ones.

However, the growing focus on sustainable mobility – an increasing effort to shift more travel from motorized transport to the use of public transport, walking and cycling – makes cyclists’ safety an increasingly important component of road safety efforts. Cyclist collisions, like other road traffic crashes, are predictable and preventable and therefore should not be accepted as inevitable.

Cyclist safety: an information resource for decision-makers and practitioners describes the magnitude of cyclist death and injury, the key risk factors, and effective interventions. The document stresses the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes legislation, enforcement and behavioral measures specifically for cyclists; design of the built environment; as well as integrating cyclist safety into overall road safety and transport strategies. It also draws attention to the benefits of cycling, which should be promoted as an important mode of transport given its potential to improve health and preserve the environment.

We hope that this resource, which is designed for a multidisciplinary audience including engineers, planners, law enforcement officers, public health professionals and educators, will contribute towards strengthening national and local capacity to implement cyclist safety measures in various settings worldwide. We encourage all to bring this resource to the attention of those who will use it to save the lives of cyclists.

The World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated the production of this resource. Soames Job, Head GRSF and Global Lead Road Safety, World Bank was one of the principal writers of this document. GRSF contributions to this document were supported by UK Aid.

This Road Safety Management Capacity Assessment (RSMCA) seeks to gain a broad understanding of the Solomon Island Government road safety management capacity in order to support the country's development of a national strategy and plan of action to improve road safety outcomes, and subsequently implement those actions effectively.

The RSMCA follows the seven critical road safety institutional management functions (Bliss and Breen 2013) to identify key challenges and provide recommendations for improvement in road safety management, and similarly addresses the Safe System pillars for the interventions level. The seven institutional management functions include: results focus; coordination; legislation; finance and resource allocation; promotion and advocacy; monitoring and evaluation, and research and development of knowledge transfer.

The Safe System pillars include road safety management; safe roads and mobility; safe vehicles; safe road users, post-crash care; and safe speeds. As such, the RSMCA outlines key findings and recommendations relating to both the road safety institutional management functions within the Solomon Islands, and the Safe System Approach, whilst also identifying targeted priority next steps to address road crash death and serious injury in the country.