Expansion of Global Road Safety Initiative to bring best-in-class interventions to 30 cities and prevent up to 22 million injuries over six years
Statement from José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vital Strategies, on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $240 million reinvestment to expand the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety:
“Traffic crashes have grown to become the leading killer of the young aged 5-29 globally. Today’s investment by Bloomberg Philanthropies is a step toward a healthier, brighter future, and will save millions from preventable road injury or death. To date, we’ve proven that progress is possible anywhere in the world through enacting good legislation, strengthening data systems, designing roads with people as the priority, and pairing strong media campaigns with enforcement. We’re proud to continue as an implementing partner in expanding these important protections to cover hundreds of millions more people.”
More than 1.35 million people die on the world’s roads each year. Traffic crashes are the eighth leading cause of death globally.
Since 2010, Vital Strategies has partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to save lives around the world as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS). From 2015-2019, Vital Strategies supported 10 cities’ leaders, agencies and a consortium of international technical partners to change the landscape for road safety, notably by improving data surveillance systems, changing risky behaviors through mass media campaigns paired with enforcement, and raising the profile of key road safety issues by working closely with local media markets.
Over the next six years, BIGRS will bolster road safety efforts in 15 countries and up to 30 cities around the world. The reinvestment will also launch a new Road Safety Awards competition to identify and promote outstanding efforts to save lives in low- and middle-income countries.
Today’s announcement, which comes the day before the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, of a $240 million reinvestment from Bloomberg Philanthropies follows a history of success. Efforts during the 12 years of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment to improve road safety have saved an estimated 312,000 lives. The initiative’s expansion aims to save an additional 600,000 more lives and prevent up to 22 million injuries.
About Vital Strategies’ Road Safety Program: Vital Strategies is an implementing partner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), supporting governments in carrying out proven road safety interventions around the world. We use our expertise to help cities strengthen road crash data systems, and then use that data to inform policy and action. We guide the creation of strategic communication and mass media campaigns to change road user behavior. Finally, we serve as the main liaison between the initiative’s multiple global partners, governments, and city agencies to align efforts in infrastructure, enforcement, communication and surveillance.
For more information on Vital Strategies’ work in road safety, please visit: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/programs/road-safety/
Media Contacts:
Kristi Saporito: ksaporito@vitalstrategies.org
Christina Honeysett: choneysett@vitalstrategies.org