Road traffic deaths and injuries represent a global public health epidemic. That epidemic has reached crisis proportions and is set to worsen over the years ahead. It is the product of transport policies that put vehicles, highways and speed before people and road safety.
The same ‘vehicle first’ approach has makes current approaches to transport policy a threat to international efforts to tackle global environmental problems, including air pollution and climate change.
The ‘Rio+20’ summit provides an opportunity to reframe transport policy priorities around two simple principles: safety for people and sustainability for the planet. Failure to seize that opportunity will diminish the relevance of ‘Rio+20’ to one of the great development challenges of the 21st century.