Decade of Action and road-safety platform launched in Turkey
WHO
The Government of Turkey, WHO and partners launched a road-safety platform on 3 April 2013. This platform will implement Turkey’s road-safety plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020.
During the event, attended by over 800 people, Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention at WHO headquarters, described the progress achieved so far in the Decade and explained how the “Global status report on road safety 2013” provides baseline country profiles for monitoring action towards achieving the Decade’s goals. He praised the progress being made in Turkey and the support provided by Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan in tackling the public health and societal threat of traffic accidents.
Goal: halve road deaths in Turkey
Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Erdoğan recognized the commitment of WHO and its partners to improving road safety, and noted that the Road Safety in 10 Countries Project (RS10) is making a difference in Turkey. He described how the epidemic of road injuries is being addressed through renewed effort, even though a million new vehicles take to the Turkish roads each year.
The Prime Minister also described the importance of the newly established road-safety platform in implementing the country’s plan to halve the number of road deaths. He noted the importance of enforcement and behaviour modification in achieving this target.
Action across sectors
Mr Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, Minister of Health, described the death and disability toll from traffic accidents on Turkish citizens, and the response of the emergency medical services to this challenge. The Minister of the Interior, Mr Muammer Güler, reported on the considerable organizational and enforcement action being taken. Speaking on behalf of the Association for Safe International Travel, Ms Rochelle Sobel called for greater political commitment and legislative review.
Award for Prime Minister Erdoğan
The meeting concluded with a ceremony in which the partners in the RS10 consortium gave the Prime Minister an award in recognition of his commitment to road safety.
