17/03/2021

Safe Children. Everyone´s responsibility

Today Chile registers 51% less children killed in road accidents since the implementation five years ago of the law regulating Child Restraint Systems for all children up to 12 years old. This figure was presented at the international online meeting "Safe Children - Everyone's Responsibility", organized by the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez together with the National Traffic Safety Commission (CONASET) and the Chilean Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, with the support of Fundación FIA and ISA Intervial. The event, which was attended by more than 220 participants from several countries in the region, was the perfect excuse to present the publication "Child Restraint Systems, a multidimensional approach to strengthen their use. The Case of Chile", which analyzes how Chile demonstrated that there are cultural changes that can be carried out quickly and effectively to reduce deaths and injuries of children in road accidents.

The Executive Director of the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, María José Pessano, pointed out that "what we did in Chile was a sustained work so that the whole system can advance in the implementation of this public policy. Everything helps the country to be seen as an example. The document we are presenting today systematizes all the work we did, with the aim that other countries can replicate it and thus achieve the objectives to which we committed ourselves with the Sustainable Development Goals".

During the event, it was highlighted that Chile has given an important lesson, showing that with political will and a collaborative spirit among the actors involved in road safety for children, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of people injured and killed in road crashes. "The joint effort of the government, civil society organizations, the private sector and the citizenry, made it possible to implement a comprehensive plan developed jointly to increase the use of child restraint systems in Chile with surprising results. But there is still a percentage of accidents to be reduced, so we must multiply our efforts" said the Executive Secretary of CONASET, Johanna Vollrath.

The event also included the outstanding participation of Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of the FIA Foundation, who spoke on "The importance of working on safe mobility for children and adolescents in the new Decade of Action for Road Safety"; Fred Wegman, Professor Emeritus of the University of Delft, with his presentation on "The importance of developing public policies focused on safe mobility for children"; and Dave Cliff, CEO of the Global Road Safety Partnership, who spoke on "Strategies and impact of enforcement to encourage the use of Child Restraint Systems".