29 June 2024
Traffic accidents cause nearly worldwide each year. In 2021, of road traffic deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for children and youth from in 2019. Such fatalities can be prevented.
Two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include targets that support road safety: SDG 3 on good health and well-being, and SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities. SDG 3 target 6 is aimed at halving the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes. SDG 11 target 2 seeks to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety by expanding public transportation, with special attention paid to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
Road safety is neither confined to public health nor is it restricted to urban planning. It is a core 2030 Agenda matter. Reaching the objective of preventing at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 would be a significant contribution to every SDG and SDG transition. The UN Road Safety Strategy, launched in 2019, the and the subsequent include five pillars: road safety management, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response and safer driving environments. These are linked to SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, and to SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.
The Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030) and Global Plan were launched in October 2021.
Road safety is promoted through various initiatives and institutions within the United Nations system, such as the , the only permanent United Nations intergovernmental forum on road safety, and the . These two forums are organized within the framework of the , part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which also hosts the There is also the and the UNECE-housed , a global pooled fund that uses tried-and-tested ways to keep road users in low- and middle-income countries safe. The next major event on road safety, the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 18 and 19 February 2025.
The , Mr. Jean Todt, appointed by the Secretary-General in 2015, is a leader on this issue. He visited Guatemala in 2022 and other countries in Latin America in 2023, and has worked tirelessly to make road safety a priority for policymakers and populations alike.
One road safety project, the , aims to reduce the number of persons killed in motorcycle accidents through the use of safe and accessible helmets. Another example is the 2023 , launched in partnership with JCDecaux, covering 1,000 cities in 80 countries; the campaign will be launched in New York on 1 July 2024.
Alarming figures in Central America
Despite manifold efforts at United Nations Headquarters and country offices, Central American countries’ records are mixed when it comes to road safety. While Panama and Costa Rica are experiencing relatively lower mortality rates due to car crashes, other nations face more deaths per year when compared to regional averages. Mortality rates in Guatemala were the highest in the region, with an equivalent ratio of 12.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to a prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Traffic fatalities in Guatemala, 2010-2023
Source: Observatorio Nacional de Seguridad del Tránsito (ONSET), 2023
According to the , on average, one person dies every four hours in a traffic accident in the country. More than half of the fatalities involve motorcycle accidents—.
The human cost of traffic collisions is certainly worrisome, as is the economic cost. In 2022, Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City spent of its budget to attend road crash emergencies.
Causes and public policy responses in Guatemala
Several causes explain the alarming figures on road safety in Guatemala, among them, the poor condition of the roads and of the vehicles, which are mostly uninsured. According to a 2023 report on the on the condition of roadways in Guatemala, of the country’s highways were in urgent need of renovation.
The of the also contributes to unnecessary casualties on the roads. This occurs mainly due to the lack of effective oversight by the police, although that is not the only reason.
Another factor is the excess number of institutions in charge, as well as subpar financial and operational coordination. According to the National Traffic Law, the Traffic Department of the National Civil Police is the competent authority when it comes to traffic regulation in Guatemala. In practice, however, .
Moreover, national road safety is often delegated locally to Municipal Traffic Police Forces, of which there were . As a consequence, ensuring the enforcement of the laws, let alone coordinating with all of the relevant actors, has become an overly complicated task for the National Traffic Department.
To put a stop to loss of life on roadways, Guatemala, through its National Civil Police, has organized various prevention campaigns and training sessions on the implementation of proper regulations. In 2022, more than years of age, including pedestrians, passengers and drivers living in various departments of the country, received training on being responsible motorists, organizing school safety patrols and other topics. The (June to October 2023) was also implemented to prevent accidents during the rainy season, which lasts from May to October.
Participants take part in the Off-Road Skills Course: Enhancing 4x4 Driving in Adverse Environments, developed by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Guatemala. UNDSS
United Nations support to improved road safety in Guatemala
Although not currently covered in the 2020–2025 , several agencies have been active in tackling road safety issues in Guatemala.
Given its mandate to oversee the safety and security of the United Nations personnel, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) has taken concrete steps to minimize risks for staff on the road. As most traffic accidents happen at night, UNDSS ensures that mission trips occur between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. All United Nations staff receive information in real time on traffic alerts through the . UNDSS designed the Off-Road Skills Course: Enhancing 4x4 Driving in Adverse Environments in Guatemala. Twenty-eight drivers from the United Nations system in Guatemala took the course between 2020 and 2023.
In 2023, the United Nations Environment Program launched the project . Financed partly by the this project aims to regulate import-export rules for used vehicles. It seeks to ensure that the used car-exporting countries respect the minimum requirements of safety in eight countries in the region: Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has also developed numerous services linked to road safety management in Latin America. Working , a registered charity with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), UNOPS has conducted independent road safety audits and inspections, advising governments on the formulation, revision, adaptation or improvement of national plans on road safety, and providing national capacity-development sessions to various stakeholders.
Another key United Nations entity working on road safety in Guatemala is the Pan American Health Organization/WHO, which created the Road Safety Action Priorities for Guatemala. This legal framework was developed to strengthen road safety; improve data collection; support traffic police training; and launch social communication campaigns to raise public awareness, working together with the Ministry of Health for the care of trauma in emergencies.
UN-Women—the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women—is no stranger to the issue of road safety, particularly when it comes to providing technical advice on updating the Action Plan for the 2014–2034 . It is important to note that one of the five strategic pillars of this policy is the prevention of road violence and traffic accidents.
Preventing traffic accidents, whether through adequate investment in infrastructure or the right set of rules and policies that are appropriately implemented, is a must. Conventions on Road Traffic, and on Road Signs and Signals, as well as the 1958, 1997 and 1998 Agreements on vehicle regulation, help. And they are finding their voice in the 2024 campaign and the 2025 Marrakesh Road Safety ministerial meeting. Guatemala is a staunch supporter. As was rightly emphasized by Unaisi Lutu Vuniwaqa, Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security, now is the right time to engage the Resident Coordinators on this important issue.
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