Bloomberg Philanthropies Doubles Support To Prevent Global Road Traffic Deaths
NEW YORK – Building on the success of 12 years of investment, Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced a doubling of its support for global road safety, committing another $240 million from 2020 – 2025 to save 600,000 more lives and prevent up to 22 million injuries in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The six-year reinvestment in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety is expected to double its impact to date. Since 2007, the initiative has saved an estimated 312,000 lives and prevented up to 11.5 million injuries. The reinvestment also includes a new awards competition to shine a light on low- and middle-income countries that have made exemplary progress in road safety.
Road traffic injuries are the 8th leading cause of death globally and the number one killer of people ages 5-29. More than 1.35 million people die and up to 50 million are seriously injured in road traffic crashes each year. Additionally, the economic losses are staggering – a recent report released by the World Bank found that reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by half could add 7-22% to GDP per capita in 5 selected low- and middle-income countries over the next 24 years.
“As Transport and Health Ministers from around the world gather in Sweden this week for the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, we should keep in mind that these deaths and injuries are completely preventable. After more than a decade of working with our international and in-country partners, we know which policies and interventions are saving lives,” said Kelly Henning, Director of Public Health at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “By increasing our commitment, we can double our impact by leveraging the many lessons we’ve learned and adopting new approaches that we believe will accelerate progress.”
Over the past 12 years, Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested $260 million to curb deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes. That investment has led ten countries (China, Russia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kenya, Brazil, Turkey, and India) and 12 localities to change their laws or policies to reduce at least one road safety risk factor. Over 3.5 billion people are now covered by a new road safety law or policy since the Initiative began.
Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at World Health Organization, said “The price we are paying for our mobility is unacceptable. We need to do much more to save lives on our roads. This new investment is excellent news that comes at a critical time when world leaders convene to decide on achieving a 50% reduction in road traffic deaths by 2030. This support from Bloomberg Philanthropies will catalyze action to help achieve that target...