13/07/2021

Improving child road safety in Central America

Road traffic crashes are, according to the WHO, the leading cause of death for children and young people between 5 and 29 years of age. In the Americas, the mortality rate per 100,000 inhabitants is 15.6, but across the region the figures are extremely disparate.

Vulnerable road users -those citizens who, because of the means of travel they use or certain physical characteristics, are at greater risk of injury in the event of a traffic accident- are also those who suffer most from the consequences of road safety. In Central America, no country has adequate legislation for children to travel safely, and together with pedestrians and motorcyclists, they are the most affected in traffic crashes.

The challenges in Central America are enormous, and this reality motivates us to act. That is why, with the support of the Puma Energy Foundation, we will begin a three-year project in Colombia, El Salvador and Panama, with the aim of promoting regulatory and institutional improvements related to child road safety. In this way, we seek to contribute to reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by traffic accidents in these countries.

The project will work on three main axes:

• Institutional cooperation and coordination
• Development and generation of knowledge and capacities
• Implementation of evidence-based interventions

The New Decade of Action for Road Safety challenges us to continue working strongly together with the Puma Energy Foundation, in order to actively contribute to safer and more sustainable mobility in cities.