The Road Safety Forum for
Ibero-america and the Caribbean

Protegiendo Vidas • Protegendo Vidas • Saving Lives

The Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the Spanish Directorate General for Traffic (DGT), FIA Foundation, the MAPFRE Foundation and the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility, with the support of the the regional committee for the road safety in Latin America and The Caribbean and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC), organized a high-level meeting on road safety which was held in Madrid.

Conclusions

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, “MADRID PRINCIPLES”

With over one hundred and twenty-five thousand annual casualties and as the main cause of mortality among the region’s youth road accidents in Latin America and the Caribbean are a top problem. Its treatment requires an equivalent effort and an implication level both at domestic and international levels, especially regarding Latin America and Caribbean community.

This is the context in which fulfilling the specific mandate from October 2008 San Salvador’s Latin American Heads of State and Government item 31, the Ibero-American General Secretariat, SEGIB, held the Latin America and the Caribbean Road Safety Meeting “Saving Lives” – EISEVI.

This meeting was organized by SEGIB in close cooperation with Spanish Traffic General Directorate (DGT), the World Bank through its Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), the FIA Foundation for Automobile and Society and the MAPFRE Foundation. This meeting was also supported by the Transitional Commission for Road Safety for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC), Latin American General Secretariat appreciates the support and effort of all participating institutions.

This Meeting had 680 participants with 14 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, 48 speakers, 12 International Bodies and 60 accredited media.

Representatives of over 35 countries participated, mostly from the Latin America and Caribbean Regions. We appreciate the presence of professionals from Estonia, France, Italy, Morocco, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Latin America and the Caribbean Road Safety Meeting “Saving Lives” in close cooperation with domestic and international bodies and civil society has allowed advancing in forming consensus on principles, criteria and best practices regarding road safety in our countries. This is achieved via strategic plans leading to implement World Health Organization’s and World Bank’s World Report on road Traffic Injury Prevention recommendations.

Bellow there is a list of Madrid Principles:

1. Road safety must be a State Policy included within the three powers, Legislative, Executive and Judicial formulated with each country’s political forces participation and consensus
2. The Meeting stated all participants’ will to advance towards the construction of a Latin American and Caribbean Road Safety Common Space
3. Countries are responsible to promote their capacities regarding road safety which means considering:

   - A responsible state body

   - Reliable and objective data gathering and treatment system

   - Strategy and action plan

   - Adequate resources

   - Multisector and focused interventions referring to safe infrastructures; the use of helmets and safety belts; avoiding driving under the effects of alcohol and drugs and speeding

   - Reinforcement of domestic capacities and international cooperation

   Some Success Stories in the aforementioned areas were included at the Meeting.

4. Countries are encouraged to approach road safety as a “safe guard system” which includes the user, the road and the vehicle so as to minimize damage independently of human error.

- A very important part of this system is the road capacity.

- Road safety must be a key factor in road planning, designing, constructing and maintaining.

5. 2010-2020 period must be declared World Road Safety Decade. Activities within this decade must lead to an important decrease in forecasted mortality list. Countries are encouraged to initiate these actions to reach 50% reduction goals on forecasted increase in 2020 road fatalities. Furthermore, countries should establish realistic midterm goals as proposed by the United Nations.
6. Global and regional multilateral organizations must recognize that road safety is a critical aspect regarding the Region’s development and therefore consider it as a priority in their regional agendas. In so doing it is necessary to ensure that Global Road Safety Facility has the necessary resources.
7. In order to have the appropriate resources for road safety it is important to highlight Global Road Safety Committee’s appeal of investing a minimum 10% of all transportation infrastructure cost in road safety.
8. Road safety is a multisector matter which must be dealt with by Governments and local, regional and federal Administrations jointly with civil society and private sector.
9. Effective authority systems are a key element in road safety policies. Perception of fines as logical and reasonable, of equality under the law as well as sense of impunity avoidance and lack of system’s transparency are factors of paramount importance so they are accepted by the citizens.
10. Media have a significant role in public awareness and political will generation for greater road safety. Recognizing their ability we encourage them to assume a more active and effective role to responsible inform about this epidemic both to citizens and public powers.
11. Victims are an essential part of road safety. We support the idea to promote the creation of a Latin America and Caribbean Federation of Associations of road-traffic accidents and held a meeting in this respect within this year
12. Bearing in mind that road accidents are an important and urgent threat for countries in the region we encourage governments, international Bodies, civil society and private sector to actively support and participate in the development of a cooperation system that facilitates the joint work of Road Safety Latin American Association and the Transitional Commission for Road Safety for Latin America and the Caribbean and strengthens domestic and regional capacities to decrease accident rates and victims. This represents an important step for our region therefore we urge to the full participation of all parties.
13. We encourage the region’s countries to actively participate in the United Nations Global Ministerial Meeting in Moscow and to implement the recommendations from said meeting. To this effect Latin American and Caribbean countries are urged to coordinate positions.
14. It is necessary to try and achieve that current international financial and economic crises have no negative impact on resources regarding road safety
15. Participants state to the Ibero-American General Secretariat and Organizing Committee their appreciation on this Meeting’s excellent preparing and developing and propose a second edition in 2011 with the goals of continuing Saving Lives