Indonesia Youth Road Safety Warriors: local coalition established

The Minister of Transportation in Indonesia launched the Indonesia Youth Road Safety Warriors (IYRSW) Program as part of their role in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka or the Independent Study Independent Campus in the formal establishment of the Indonesia Youth Road Safety Coalition, as a space to all alumni. The theme aligns to support the new Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 and culminated in the formal establishment of the IYRSC.

The program was created through IRSP with the Ministry of Transport of Republic of Indonesia, Astra Honda Motor, the Institute Transportation and Logistic Trisakti, the Polytechnic of Land Transport Indonesia, and the Polytechnic of Road Transport Safety. 

Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka was held online in a webinar with the closing ceremony on the 1st of December. During the webinar, the situation on road safety and mobility in Indonesia was discussed with three local campuses welcoming the IYRSW as an elective course that is equivalent to two elective courses under the Ministry of Education and Culture program.

The IYRSW program accommodates sixty students from three different campuses – Institute Transportation and Logistic Trisakti, Polytechnic of Land Transport Indonesia, and Polytechnic of Road Transport Safety - with twenty students representing each campus.

The IYRSW encourages efforts to improve the quality of human resources in the field of road safety through the implementation of national road safety programs through partnerships between different sectors. It also focuses on providing multi-dimensional and awareness programs for young motorists with a focus on motorcycle drivers that would ideally create positive safety outcomes for young people and other stakeholders.

During the closing ceremony, IRSP President Dr. Elly Sinaga, MSc highlighted the new Decade of Action for Road Safety, emphasizing how the Global Plan calls on governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, and other stakeholders to integrate the Safe System Approach which squarely positions on road safety as a key driver of sustainable development.

She also talked about how the Global Plan highlights the role of youth in shaping the future of transportation. Through the IYRSW, the IRSP aims to improve road safety in Indonesia, saying that the program and the organization will collaborate with global partners such as the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety to improve the capacity of the students on both local and global levels.

President Elly also committed the support of the IRSP as a non-government organization in helping the government come up with recommendations and solutions to improve the road safety situation in Indonesia by working on partnerships, advocacy, policy proposals, and capacity building.

YOURS – Youth for Road Safety Executive Director, Floor Lieshout, was also present during the webinar to provide a global perspective to the road safety situation as well as with the youth-led initiatives to address issues on mobility being supported by the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety.

Floor shared the progress YOURS through the Global Youth Coalition is leading in terms of implementing road safety projects to improve awareness, engagement, partnerships, and more as a way to keep more young people safe on the world’s roads. He commends the youth leaders who make up the Coalition as those who are taking action to fight the biggest killer of youth worldwide; road crashes. 

In his speech, he also congratulated the IYRSW for localizing road safety initiatives and in getting more young people involved in efforts to save lives on the world’s roads. He also invited the participants to also get involved in the global road safety movement by joining the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety.

“We need to come together to develop a better mobility system, a safe mobility system, a more sustainable mobility system for future generations. And we can only do that if we work together. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” – Floor Lieshout