This report is a collation of papers given at a forum on road safety held in Sydney, New South Wales, on Wednesday 7 April 2004. The forum—one of numerous events held on that day around the globe—marked World Health Day. For the first time in the history of the World Health Organization, World Health Day was devoted to road safety. 

The slogan for the day was "Road Safety is No Accident". This slogan was adopted for the New South Wales event. The major launch of World Health Day 2004 was celebrated in Paris, France, and was hosted by President Jacques Chirac of France, who delivered a powerful keynote speech calling road traffic collisions an "evil which strikes at the modern world".

He stressed the need for political commitment to road safety at the highest level and called for action by all countries to address this crisis. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, pledging his support to World Health Day and called on all countries to take heed of the growing toll of road traffic collisions and begin implementing preventive action.

Mr Annan said: “Despite enormous improvements in road safety in some countries over the past few decades, nearly 1.2 million people are killed every year in road traffic crashes around the world. Most of these deaths, each of which is a personal tragedy, occur singly and draw no attention from the world’s media.

About 90 per cent happen in developing countries, most of them among pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and passengers of public transport. Between 20 and 50 million more people are seriously injured in such incidents every year, often resulting in disability.

Beyond the human suffering they cause, road traffic injuries result in considerable additional costs to societies. Globally, more than half of all victims are between the ages of 15 and 44, the age at which they would be most able to contribute to the livelihood of their families and communities.

This loss of breadwinners has enormous implications for the security of families. And estimates show that road traffic injuries cost nations as much as 2 per cent of their gross national product.

Yet most of this loss can be prevented -- by tackling dangerous driving, such as speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol; by promoting the use of helmets and seat belts; by ensuring that people walking and cycling are more visible; by improving the design of roads and vehicles; by enforcing road safety regulations; and by improving emergency response services.

The key to successful prevention lies in the commitment of all relevant sectors, public and private -- health, transport, education, finance, police, legi lators, manufacturers, foundations and the media -- to make road safety happen.” Dr Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization, officially launched the World report on road traffic injury prevention.

This report emphasizes the role of public health in the prevention of road traffic injuries. It offers countries six recommendations for action on road safety at a national level. Among the report’s recommendations are the appointment of a lead agency in every country to coordinate multisectoral efforts, the preparation of national road safety strategies and plans of action with clear roles and objectives for each sector, and the implementation of proven interventions to prevent crashes and minimize injuries and their consequences.

The report notes that road safety is a shared responsibility, and calls on the expertise of people across many sectors and disciplines, including public health professionals, health care providers, road and motor vehicle engineers, law enforcement officials and educators.

Dr Lee called for a concerted effort in road safety, particularly among the public health community, saying that "We must now use every day to act on road safety, and implement effective sustainable action to prevent injury and death on the world's roads... Everyone can increase road safety in their private capacity as well - as drivers, passengers and pedestrians, and as members of the public who influence decision-makers.

Road deaths and injuries are preventable.” In Australia, events for World Health Day 2004 were co-ordinated by the Australasian College of Road Safety, Parliamentary Committees, and motoring organisations.

STAYSAFE, the College, and the National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA Motoring & Services) organised the New South Wales event, and participated in the launch of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention