Together for Safer Roads: Private Sector Global Coalition Focused on Reducing Road Traffic Collisions Launched
Together for Safer Roads: Private Sector Global Coalition Focused on Reducing R…
- Anheuser-Busch InBev, AIG, AT&T, Chevron, Ericsson, Facebook, IBM, iHeartMedia, PepsiCo, Walmart Found Cross-Sector Initiative Global coalition launched at United Nations aims to combat the 8th leading cause of death worldwide
- Supports goals of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety
Ten leading, global companies have joined to create Together for Safer Roads - an innovative cross-sector coalition focused on improving road safety and reducing deaths and injuries by road traffic collisions. THe founding members: Anheuser-Busch InBev, AIG, AT&T, Chevron, Ericsson, Facebook, IBM, iHeartMedia, PepsiCo, and Walmart.
Road traffic crashes are the 8th leading cause of death worldwide and the #1 cause of death among 15 – 29 year olds. The World Health Organization of the United Nations estimates that, absent intervention, this will become the 5th leading cause of death by 2030, surpassing diseases such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes.1 The tremendous human loss – approximately 3,000 people are killed each day – leads to major economic loss. It is estimated that road traffic collisions cost more than 500 billion USD per year or 1-3% of the GDP of the world’s countries.2
“Together for Safer Roads brings together global industry leaders, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, who believe business can drive change that will help reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to road traffic accidents,” said Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev and Chairman of Together for Safer Roads. “These deaths are the 8th leading cause of death in the world and largely preventable. We need to act with greater urgency to make roads safer for all.”
A primary goal of the coalition is to foster cross-sector collaboration that helps identify and scale best practices on road safety. Members will work with a variety of stakeholders - employees, business, government and community partners - to implement activities that have a proven impact on improving road safety. Together, coalition members employ over 3 million people and operate in 200 countries. Member companies’ fleets of cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles drive at least 3 billion miles (4.8 billion kilometers) each year.
"Road safety is a growing challenge globally – and an even more pressing issue for developing markets like China, where AIG research shows that 40% of drivers have been driving for less than 3 years," said Steve Miller, the Non-Executive Chairman of AIG and Vice-Chairman of Together for Safer Roads. "By combining our expertise, data-driven insights, technology and networks, we see great potential in our coalition to scale industry best practices and raise awareness of this major global health issue."
Amina Mohammed, Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning, commenting on the formation of Together for Safer Roads, said, “Road safety has no demographic or geographic boundaries and impacts countries of all economic levels, from low- and middle-income to high-income countries. Half-way through the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety, there remains work to do to achieve our goals. Now is the time for the private sector to join forces and help realize our vision of a world where roads are safe for all people.”
Together for Safer Roads coalition members will be working in three core areas: 1) safer roads, vehicles and systems; 2) safer road users; and 3) advocacy and thought leadership. Future coalition efforts will include: benchmarking best practices that advance traffic safety culture among companies and partners; convening stakeholders in key cities to focus on strategies for reducing fatalities; identifying ways technology and data can support road safety; advocating for more funding and support for country road safety initiatives; and, raising overall awareness about this important issue. The coalition will be advised by an Expert Panel of eminent leaders in road safety who will draw together insight and knowledge from the global community. The Panel’s white paper, to be published in 2015, will help guide the activities of Together for Safer Roads.
The Expert Panel is chaired by Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H., FACPM Rear Admiral, US Public Health Service (Ret.); former Acting Surgeon General of the United States. "The Expert Panel will provide Together for Safer Roads with independent, scientific, evidence-based information, advice and perspectives on road safety, bring a synthesis of the best research to bear and advise on the most critical areas for action to drive results," said Dr. Moritsugu. "We are pleased to see the energy and willingness of the private sector to address important gaps in global road safety."
The coalition invites participation by private sector peers and will collaborate closely with governments, academic and civil society organizations.
TSR Coalition Member Quotes
AT&T
“At AT&T we are committed to safer driving, and have been focused on efforts to end texting while driving since our Chairman launched the It Can Wait campaign in 2010. Additionally, AT&T has emerged as a leader in the connected car industry, working with manufacturers to build solutions that are advancing safety for connected car drivers”’ said Glenn Lurie, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility. “It was a natural next step for us to join forces with Together for Safer Roads.”
Chevron Corporation
“Chevron places the highest priority on the health and safety of our workforce and the people and communities in which we operate. We are proud to be a founding member of the Together for Safer Roads coalition and look forward to sharing what we’ve learned from our efforts to improve and promote road safety worldwide, which have earned us the prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award,” said Wesley E. Lohec, Vice President, Health, Environment and Safety, Chevron Corporation.
Ericsson
“Ericsson is committed to applying our Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to address major societal challenges; and safety for all road users is at the center of our innovation for Intelligent Transport Systems, Automotive and Public Safety solutions. Ericsson is pleased to be a founding member of Together for Safer Roads and we look forward to this collaboration helping to reduce the incidence and impact of road crashes in our communities,” said Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson.
IBM Public Sector
"Data-driven insights can have a profound impact on improving road safety," said Dan Pelino, General Manager, IBM Public Sector. "IBM has deep expertise in Smarter Transportation. By collectively sharing data among some of the world’s leading organizations and applying IBM’s advanced analytics, we can better understand cause and effect and determine better ways to markedly improve road safety. We are pleased to be part the coalition and support its goals of improving road safety globally."
iHeartMedia, Inc.
“Over the past few years, iHeartMedia has supported a number of safe driving public awareness initiatives across our more than 850 radio stations, digital platforms and out-of-home properties,” said Richard Bressler, President and CFO, iHeartMedia, Inc. “As a founding member of the Together for Safer Roads coalition, we will use our spectrum of multiplatform assets to address key aspects of road safety, a critical global public health challenge facing the many communities in which we all live and work. As a coalition partner, iHeartMedia will deliver key messages to our millions of listeners to drive awareness of this prevalent and growing issue, and help educate the public around safer driving practices.”
PepsiCo
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our employees, families and communities,” said Zein Abdalla, President, PepsiCo. “PepsiCo is proud to join this private sector partnership to make our roads safer for every driver and passenger. We strongly encourage other companies to join this effort.”
Key Statistics on Road Safety
• Approximately 1.3 million people are killed each year in road traffic collisions and up to 50 million more sustain non-fatal injuries that cause a wide-range of disabilities.3
• The economic loss due to road traffic collisions has been estimated at 1-3% of the GDP of the world’s countries, more than US$500 billion a year.4
• Given the scope of the challenge, the United Nations named 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety and set measurable goals for reversing this trend.
Members of the Expert Panel
• Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H., FACPM: Rear Admiral, US Public Health Service (Ret.); former Acting Surgeon General of the United States (Chair)
• Claudia Adriazola-Steil, J.D.: Director, Health and Road Safety, EMBARQ, World Resources Institute; Former Executive Manager, National Council of Road Safety, Ministry of Transport, Peru
• Jean-Pascal Assailly, Ph.D.: Expert for the French National Council of Road Safety; Consultant for the World Bank and the European Union; Researcher at the French National Institute of Traffic Safety Research
• Tony Bliss: Global Road Safety Advisor, Monash University Accident Research Centre; Former Lead Road Safety Specialist, World Bank; Director of Road Safety Management Limited
• Guohua Li, M.D., Dr.P.H.: Finster Professor and Founding Director, Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention, Columbia University Medical Center
• Marc Sanford Shotten: Senior Transport Specialist, Global Road Safety Facility, The World Bank Group
• Peter Sweatman, Ph.D.: Director, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
• Stewart C. Wang, M.D., Ph.D.: Endowed Professor of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School; Director, University of Michigan Program for Injury Research and Education (UMPIRE); Founding Director, International Center for Automotive Medicine, University of Michigan
• George Yannis, Ph.D.: Professor, Transportation Planning and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens
1World Health Organization, United Nations, 2013 Global Status Report on Road Safety
2World Health Organization, Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020
3Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, United Nations
4Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, United Nations
About Together for Safer Roads: Launched in 2014 Together for Safer Roads (TSR) is an innovative coalition that brings together global private-sector companies to focus on improving road safety and reducing deaths and injuries from road traffic collisions. The founding members are Anheuser-Busch InBev, AIG, AT&T, Chevron, Ericsson, Facebook, IBM, iHeartMedia, PepsiCo, and Walmart. The vision of Together for Safer Roads is a world where roads are safe for all people. Members will use their combined knowledge, data, technology, and networks to promote safer roads, vehicles and systems; safer road users; advocacy and thought leadership. TSR members will also focus on scaling industry best practices that draw on cross-industry expertise. An Expert Panel of eminent leaders in road safety - drawn from academia, NGOs, governments and international organizations - will advise the coalition on its focus areas and activities. Working collaboratively, TSR coalition members want to improve the safety of roads around the world so that road traffic crashes are no longer one of the leading causes of death and injuries. For more information, visit www.togetherforsaferroads.org.
For information about Together for Safer Roads:
