Commitment to Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has committed to a road safety partnership during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.

The partnership aims to identify innovative ways to reduce the number of road deaths throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes not only financing improved infrastructure but also coordinating road safety strategies that involve the private and public sectors, mobilizing financial and non-financial resources from its partners, and preparing region-wide road safety campaigns that raise awareness and educate the population on this critical issue.

iRAP and the IDB will work in close partnership to eliminate high-risk roads.

John Dawson, iRAP Chairman, said the commitment is an important step for the safety of everyone in the region. "We look forward to working closely with the IDB in providing assistance in road safety assessment, training, research, communications and evaluation in the 26 IDB countries.

Road safety is currently one of the main development issues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This year the region continues to have one of the highest road traffic death rates in the world, with 16 fatalities per 100,000. One group that is particularly vulnerable is motorcycle users with 13% of the total road death toll. In road crashes represent an enormous economic cost for LAC countries, estimated at 1% of GDP.

September 2009.