JH-IIRU to hold Symposium on Road Safety in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
On October 16, 2014, as part of an ongoing effort to draw attention to the growing burden of road traffic injuries, the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) will hold the International Symposium on Road Safety in Low- and- Middle Income Countries at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The symposium will have four sessions: the opening session will introduce participants to the issue of road safety, especially in low- and middle-income countries and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Program. Session two will focus on risk factors for road safety; session three centers around emergency and trauma care and post-injury care as it relates to road traffic injuries; and the final session will discuss monitoring and evaluation for road safety. Our speakers will include experts in global road safety from Brazil, China, India and Mexico. With this symposium, JH-IIRU hopes to both broaden the understanding of the global epidemic of road traffic injuries and show our commitment to road safety from a global perspective.
Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes, with an additional 20 to 50 million people injured or disabled. If no action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death globally by 2030.
Moreover, the economic losses associated with road traffic deaths are just as devastating, costing LMICs an estimated $100 billion every year. While these statistics are shocking, the impact of road traffic crashes is often overlooked as a serious disease burden.
The JH-IIRU is dedicated to reducing those rates of road traffic injuries around the world. In 2010, JH-IIRU joined a consortium of six partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT), EMBARQ and the World Bank, to evaluate and implement road safety solutions in ten countries that account for nearly half (48%) of all traffic deaths globally. The Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Program is a five-year undertaking generously funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and dedicated to evaluating and implementing road safety solutions where they are needed most.
This is a free event, but registration is required. Additional information, including speaker biographies and driving directions can be found (updated periodically).
Please contact Bobbi Nicotera at bnicote1@jhu.edu with any questions.