UN Road Safety Envoy Visits Viet Nam to Curb Road Risks
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, is visiting Viet Nam from to 24 April 2025 to support global and national authorities’ road safety initiatives, three years after his last visit in the country. The Special Envoy will meet members of the Government in Hanoi as well as representatives of the private and public sectors two months after the Declaration of Marrakesh where Member states further engaged to accelerate the efforts for achieving the new Decade of Action for Road Safety with the goal of halving the number of the victims on the road by 2030.
On 27-30 April, Mr. Jean Todt will speak at the 45th General Assembly of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), to be held in Hue. This event will bring together 450 mayors, officials, and representatives of Francophone cities. This forum will highlight the vital importance of cooperation between cities to cultivate dialogue and international solidarity, and to jointly address major global challenges at local level, including safe and sustainable mobility for all.
The silent pandemic on the road
The Special Envoy Jean Todt qualified road crashes as “The Silent Pandemic on the Road”. Indeed, every year, the staggering toll of road-related fatalities globally claims the lives of 1.19 million people, leaving 50 million others with severe injuries. Furthermore, road crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years. Road crashes are disproportionately high in Western Pacific region, with a traffic fatality rate of 15.4 deaths per 100,000 population, compared to 6.5 deaths per 100,000 in Europe or representing three time the rate in Australia (WHO 2021).
With 18 deaths/100,000 people (WHO 2021), Viet Nam faces a tragedy on the road. Motorbikes are the most type of transport vehicles, with over 50 million motorbikes, with a danger level 4 times higher than cars, 10 times than buses, and 13 times more than urban trams (ESCAP 2020). According to the Statistic of National Traffic Safety Committee (2024), 59.84% of the road traffic crashes are related to motorcycles and motorbikes.
Towards enhanced road safety in Viet Nam
The good news is that solutions exist. The use of proper helmets responding to UN regulations is for example a game changer in protecting the motorbike users.
” When we know that quality helmets can help to reduce the risk of fatal injury by 28-64%; head injury 58-60% and brain injury 47-74% (WHO, 2023), it is urgent to act to stop the carnage on the road”, highlights the Special Envoy.
The use of safe vehicles, better road infrastructure and design to protect cyclists and pedestrians, efficient post-crash services and law enforcement also demonstrate conclusive results in reducing drastically the fatality rate.
The pace of infrastructure development and the limit of public transport capacity unmatched the rapid rise in the number of vehicles causes serious traffic congestion, especially in big cities. Finding solutions to increase the awareness of using public transport systems instead of individual vehicles would contribute to safer and cleaner mobility for all. Education and raising awareness campaigns are also key.
https://unece.org/media/press/401604