WHO has launched the first global technical advisory group on powered two- and three-wheeled vehicle safety to help shape laws, policies, regulations and research to reduce fatal crashes and support the shift to sustainable transport systems.
Motorcyclists and other powered two-and three-wheeled vehicle riders make up nearly a quarter of the 1.19 million annual road traffic deaths globally, with the number of these vehicles nearly tripling in the decade to 2021.
"With the rapid rise in motorcycles, other powered two-and three-wheelers, and an accompanying rise in deaths among riders in many countries and regions, the need to enhance safety measures within the safe systems approach to road safety is crucial, as well as putting policies, measures and actions in place to support safer, healthier and more sustainable transport systems," said Ms. Evelyn Murphy, the WHO public health lawyer that coordinates the work of the group.
The new WHO-led advisory group brings together leading experts from governments and research institutions from a number countries with high numbers of motorcycles and other powered two-and three-wheeled vehicles such as Viet Nam, Kenya, Colombia, Uganda and Malaysia. The first meeting of the technical advisory group is set for March 13.
"Aligning the mobility needs of powered-two and three wheeler riders with road safety, land-use, climate change, equity, gender and other social agendas is key to achieving the United Nations Decade of Action for Global Road Safety 2021-2030 fatality reduction targets. It is also key to protecting and prioritising all citizens, including the lives of some of the most vulnerable road users," says urban mobility advisor and technical advisory board member, Nathaly Torregroza
"The increase of in powered-two and three-wheelers Africa has not translated into equitable access for marginalized groups including women, people living with disabilities and residents of rural and urban slums. This is partly due to a lack of inclusiveness in existing policies, interventions, and research," says Dr Violent Wawire, lecturer in the School of Education at Kenya's Kenyatta University and technical advisory board member.
Members of the Technical Advisory Group
Dr Abdul Bachani, Kenya
Associate Professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Director for the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU).
Dr Esther Bayiga-Zziwa, Uganda
Dr Bayiga-Zziwa is a researcher specializing in intentional and unintentional injury research. With over 10 years of experience in injury prevention, her interests include injury epidemiology and road safety research with a focus on the built environment, post-crash emergency care, costing of health interventions, and evaluation of their effectiveness.
Mr Eduardo Pompeo Martins, Brazil
Mr Martins is an urban designer with several years of experience working with and within city governments in street transformation projects and programs.
Ms Nathaly M. Torregroza V, Colombia
Nathaly Torregroza is an Urban Mobility Advisor in Colombia. She supports cities to create safer, healthier, and more sustainable mobility plans.
Mr Eduardo Pompeo Martins, Brazil
Mr Martins is an urban designer with years of experience working with and within city governments in street transformation initiatives and projects.
Ms Nathaly M. Torregroza V, Colombia
Nathaly Torregroza is an Urban Mobility Advisor in Colombia. She supports cities to create safer, healthier and more sustainable mobility plans.
Mohd Khairul Alhapiz Bin Ibrahim (Hapiz), Malaysia
MKA Ibrahim is leading a research project on hazard detection and pre-collision alert technologies for small-engine motorcycles to improve motorcycle safety in Malaysia and beyond.
Dr Eric Dumbaugh, United States
Dr Eric Dumbaugh is a global leader in the planning and design of safe urban streets. His work focuses on the application of safe systems concepts to transportation practice, with a particular focus on the relationships between urban design and road safety.
Dr Hilda María Gómez, Colombia
Ms Gomez has extensive experience and expertise in the use of powered-two and three-wheelers in Latin America. Her focus has been on integrating these vehicles into urban planning and mobility.
Mrs Aline Delhaye, Belgium
Mrs Delhaye has been working on motorcycling safety and mobility matters since 2004. Based in Belgium and Senegal, she provides expertise on the Safe System Approach and participates in projects aiming at increasing knowledge and capacities.
Dr Tomaž Tollazi, Slovenia
Professor Tollazzi is a Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. He has been actively involved for more than 30 years as an engineer, academic and advisor in road infrastructure design, road safety and engineering.
Dr Nguyen Dinh Vinh Man, Viet Nam
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Dr Nguyen's experience includes working closely with local communities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations to implement road safety initiatives, sustainable transportation projects, and environmental initiatives.
Ms Nichamon Thongphat, Thailand
Ms Thongphat has more than ten years of experience in the fields of passenger transportation and road safety as a policy researcher in Thailand focusing on how regulations and transport economics interact with the goal of reducing collisions and fatalities on Thailand's roadways.
Dr Violet Wawire, Kenya
Dr Wawire has over fifteen years of expertise in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as a lecturer in the School of Education at Kenyatta University, Kenya and international research and evaluation consultant.
Dr Esther Bayiga-Zziwa, Uganda
Dr Bayiga-Zziwa is a researcher specializing in intentional and unintentional injury research. With over 10 years of experience in injury prevention, her interests include injury epidemiology and road safety research with a focus on the built environment, post-crash emergency care, costing of health interventions, and evaluation of their effectiveness.
