30/07/2019

Traffic Safety Expert Fred Wegman visits Uruguay

The Gonzalo Rodriguez Foundation has been working to make traffic safety an issue that is more urgently addressed. In order to do so, they met with presidential candidates in April and May to present them with the situation of the country and the economic and social costs of the deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents. They also showed the politicians the best existing solutions to these problems in order for the candidates to integrate them into their platforms. In May, to commemorate Traffic Safety Month, the Foundation staged an exhibition in the Plaza Independencia to represent the 528 deaths and to advocate for government policy to improve the situation.

Around this time, Wegman arrived in Uruguay with the objective of familiarizing himself with the national reality and presenting best practices for the elimination of deaths and injuries as a result of traffic accidents based on programs that have succeeded internationally.

During his visit, Wegman met with the Public Health, Transportation and Public Works Ministries, the team from the Transportation Department at City Hall, the Office of City Planning, the board of UNASEV, and the Director of the National Transit Police and led a workshop for the technical advisors to the presidential candidates in order to incorporate traffic safety in their agendas.

He also met with representatives from the Engineering School of the University of the Republic, who are considering including a traffic safety specialty in the curriculum.

Finally, he carried out the “Panel of High Level Discussion on Traffic Security” where he explained the main ideas related to traffic safety and recommendations to reduce accidents in Uruguay. In addition to Fred Wegman, the panelists included representatives from the Public Health Ministry, National Transit Police, Maria Fernanda Rodríguez, president of the Gonzalo Rodriguez Foundation, and Morgan Doyle, Inter-American Development Bank Representative to Uruguay.

“At the Gonzalo Rodriguez Foundation, we work to eliminate deaths and serious injuries resulting from traffic collisions and promote safe and sustainable transportation in Latin America. With the presence of Fred Wegman in our country, we want to reaffirm the importance of addressing this issue,” expressed Maria Fernanda Rodriguez, president of the Gonzalo Rodriguez Foundation.

“According to UNASEV figures, in 2018, 528 victims of transit crashes died and 71 people were affected daily by the issue. This is equivalent to a loss of approximately 1-3% of the GDP, so it is very important that this concern is considered by the authorities. The Foundation is demanding the development of a state policy that includes a 10-year strategic plan that will lower the unacceptable current mortality rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people,” asserted Rodriguez.

“For decades, our cities have been designed to give priority to vehicles. Today, there is a growing consensus surrounding the need to rethink our cities from a more human perspective. This allows us to prioritize pedestrians and rethink transport and public spaces. This is to say, we need to facilitate the coexistence of citizens and our transportation needs,” said Morgan Doyle, Inter-American Development Bank Representative to Uruguay.

“Uruguay should have a policy that increases government efforts and produces real results. The country urgently needs a national strategy regarding traffic safety with a strong leader agency,” said Wegman.

ABOUT FRED WEGMAN

Fred Wegman, Professor Emeritus of traffic security at the Delft University of Technology, is also the President of IRTAD (International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group).

Since 2008, IRTAD has facilitated joint efforts between countries that are working to improve their traffic safety record.

They have worked with myriad countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

He has also collaborated in the development of report “Benchmarking of the traffic safety in Latin America – Analysis of Policies in Specific Cases,” in which they stressed proven recommendations regarding road safety.