Red Cross Red Crescent activities worldwide
In response to the growing number of accident related injuries, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies worldwide are increasingly working with their governments and other partners to reduce the number of road accidents as well as their physical, social and economic consequences.
The Red Cross of Viet participated in a global Road Safety Week by conducting a First Aid demonstration in Hanoi. Nearly 30 people die and another 70 are severly injured each day in traffic accidents in Viet Nam. (p-VNM0156) |
As National Societies play an important auxiliary role to governments in humanitarian matters, they can have influence in matters such as road safety. And as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has unparalleled access to communities worldwide through its 97 million volunteers, it can run effective public awareness campaigns and teach first aid at a local level.
In 2005, more than half of all National Societies organized road safety first aid courses for members of the public, professional drivers, emergency medical personnel and police officers.
The International Federation and the Global Road Safety Partnership published a joint Practical guide on road safety for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
This toolkit will help people to set up road safety programmes, boost advocacy work with governments and summarizes the extent and impact of road crashes worldwide as well as their causes. It also details simple preventive measures and offers practical recommendations. The guide also covers road safety work already carried out by National Societies.
 Red Cross Societies in the European Union have prioritised road safety. Since 2001, National Societies have implemented three regional road safety campaigns, with a special focus on children and young people.
The campaigns, coordinated by the International Federation’s Red Cross EU office in Brussels, have been supported by the European Commission and Toyota Motor Europe, and now for the 2007/8 campaign by Tom Tom.
For more information on the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s work on road safety worldwide, email road.safety@ifrc.org.
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