Today marks a significant milestone for youth and road safety with the launch of the Commonwealth Youth Development Index (YDI). For the first time, the Commonwealth has recognized and focused on road safety as the leading cause of death for young people and included a chapter on its importance in the YDI. The chapter, authored by the Towards Zero Foundation (TZF) and Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), highlights the importance of prioritizing road safety and the involvement of youth in the path to sustainable development within the Commonwealth.
Everyone has the right to be safe on our roads and no child should have to fear the walk to school, but unfortunately, this is not the reality for many of us in this world. For those that live in low-income countries, the inequality in safety is far greater, with these countries having a road fatality rate 3 times that of high-income countries. Having said that, even high-income countries can do better to keep people safe on the roads.