Road traffic injuries remain a real challenge for health-care and the leading cause of death and injuries worldwide. Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die in road accidents, and million more are injured or disabled. In addition to creating huge social expenses, road traffic injuries are a heavy burden on the economy.

In order to reduce deaths and injuries on the roads as a result of road accidents, four leading international organisations working in the field of road safety – FIA Foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership, World Bank and the World Health Organisation – have developed and presented Speed Management Manual.

The webinar, delivered by the Global Road Safety Facility and supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety brought together road safety specialists and experts from around the world. In particular, the event was attended by Yurii Chornyi, President of the International Charitable Foundation “Assistance to Victims of Road Accidents”.

According to one of the event’s organizer, the representative of the public health team of Bloomberg Philanthropies Rebecca Bavinger, with the help of guides such as the second edition of the Speed Management Manual, policymakers are given the tools they need to take bold actions and make lasting changes to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities.

The first edition of the Manual was published in 2008. After 15 years, the Manual was updated to include the latest knowledge and insights in the field of road safety.

According to Senior Transport Specialist World Bank, GRSF Alina F Burlacu, speed management remains one of the biggest challenges for road safety specialists around the world, and therefore requires a unified, long-term interdisciplinary approach to resolve it.

In the new edition, experts have expanded the topic, taking into account the latest approaches in developing a speed system that is safe for all road users. The experts also studied the impact of the speed limit on the environment and public health.