IRU General Assembly adopts Resolution in full support of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Geneva –The International Road Transport Union’s (IRU) General Assembly, representing truck, bus, coach and taxi operators in 74 countries on the 5 continents, unanimously adopted today a Resolution on road safety, in support of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

This IRU Resolution demonstrates the road transport industry’s full backing of the UN General Assembly Resolution of 3 March 2010, declaring 2011-2020 as the “Decade of Action for Road Safety” with the objective to stabilise and then reduce traffic fatalities around the world by increasing activities conducted at national, regional and global levels. 

IRU President, Janusz Lacny, welcoming the fact that the UN has finally put road safety high on the international political agenda, said: “Road safety has always been, is and will remain a top priority issue for the road transport industry. For true professionals, every accident is one accident too many. With the IRU Road Safety Resolution, the entire road transport industry is behind the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.” 

“This industry initiative complements the IRU commitment to allocate USD 2 million to improve commercial road transport safety, provided that this important commitment is matched by credible partners or by the international donor community,” Mr Lacny added. 

Key actions needed to effectively improve road safety include:

1.      Identifying the main causes of accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles by supporting accident causation studies which apply the scientific, widely accepted and internationally benchmarked ETAC methodology to effectively target the main causes of accidents, and 

2.      Supporting and promoting effective, harmonised and internationally recognised standards and programmes for vocational training of road transport professionals, which have been developed by the IRU Academy.

Mr Lacny concluded “The whole road transport industry supports the UN efforts to improve road safety and will play its part to effectively reduce road accidents during the “UN Decade of Action”.

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Read IRU Resolution on the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety

See the executive summary of the European Truck Accident Causation Study (ETAC)

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