Road Safety through the Lens of Development Communication
When the United Nations (UN) came up with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the year 2000, road safety was not part of its priorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1.35 million people die because of road crashes every year. This was clearly a phenomenon that needed more attention and exertion.
When Millennium ended, it was clear that the MDGs were, unfortunately, not met. However, the new millennium saw previously side-lined issues, like road safety, highlighted and prioritized.
The MDGs were transformed into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a list of global targets that serve as a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”.
Development Communication is the utilization of communication to promote, discuss, and achieve the SDGs, including road safety and safe mobility.
The area of road road safety is covered in five (5) of the seventeen (17) global goals; health and well-being, education, gender and equality, sustainable cities, and climate action. The subject of safe roads and safe mobility encompass a lot of other fields and yet the discussion on road safety.
Photo from the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety 2020
There is a need to initiate and sustain the conversation on road safety and safe mobility. For this task, the utilization of communication tools, materials, and strategies are necessary.
Different communication materials such as videos, brochures, articles, press releases, and the like presented through tools like gadgets and various social media platforms can contribute a lot in promoting the road safety movement all across the globe.
An engaging conversation, a strongly-worded article, a well put-together video, or well-put-together graphic could mean the difference between recruiting more people to join the road safety revolution or them ignoring the movement to find something more interesting.
It’s time the world knew more about road safety and safe mobility. What better way to do this than through simple, effective, and regular communication?
Get to know more about the youth-led road safety movement by connecting with us! Use #ClaimingOurSpace! See you online!
Article by Maolin Macatangay
Sources: World Health Organization. N.D. Retrieved on 2020 July 27. Millenium Development Goals. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/about/en/
World Health Organization. 2020 February 7. Road Traffic Injuries. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
Sustainable Development Goals Fund. N.D. Retrieved on 2020 July 27. From MDGs to SDGs. Retrieved from https://www.sdgfund.org/mdgs-sdgs
Lustria, Mia Liza et al. 2001. Design and Production of Print and Radio Dev Comm Materials. Quezon City, Philippines. University of the Philippines – Open University.