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On the Road with ASIRT ______________________Winter 2024
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Dear Friends,
Next year will mark ASIRT’s 30th anniversary! We have set ambitious goals and are in the process of planning numerous exciting programs for this milestone year as we continue to work together to save precious lives on the roads of the world. However, we cannot achieve our goals without you! We greatly rely upon and are deeply appreciative of your support and help. As 2024 draws to a close, I would like to highlight a few of ASIRT’s accomplishments from this past year that your contributions have helped us to realize.
ASIRT is proud of the growth of the bi-partisan Congressional Global Road Safety Caucus, whose creation was inspired by ASIRT, and is grateful to Co-Chairs Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) for their outstanding leadership.
Last June, ASIRT partnered with the Congressional Caucus for a briefing on the Hill, entitled, “Protecting Overseas Employees and Travelers: Organizational Responsibility for Road Safety." A panel of representatives from government, international, corporate, and education sectors outlined approaches to providing road safety information to their employees and travelers in advance of and during travel. The briefing raised Congressional awareness of the impact of road crashes on Americans working, living, studying, and traveling abroad and highlighted the successes and challenges of programs that have thus far been put into place to protect travelers.
At the briefing, Thomas Yazdgerdi, President of AFSA, the American Foreign Service Association, presented the results of a survey of foreign service professionals that it conducted to learn travelers’
road crash experiences encountered in host countries. Additionally, survey participants offered recommendations to improve road safety practices. ASIRT is proud of its ongoing engagement with AFSA and inspiring the organization to continue its focus on road safety.
ASIRT also has increased and expanded its impact on the education abroad community, broadening its distribution of resources, and speaking at conferences, including PULSE International, an umbrella organization of college and university risk managers. This past fall, ASIRT expanded its audience when Campus Safety Magazine published its article, “Road Safety Abroad: Preparing Students and Educators for International Travel.” Expected plans for 2025 include leading a panel at the May 2025 OSAC Mena meeting. The Overseas Advisory Council Middle East and North Africa Regional Committee includes risk managers and safety and security personnel from colleges and universities, corporations, government contractors, and faith-based organizations.
Miles of beautiful, contiguous sidewalks now encircle several blocks of Willerburn Acres in Montgomery County, Maryland. Pedestrians are no longer forced to walk on busy streets, in large part as a result of ASIRT’s consultations with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and dedicated community leaders. ASIRT has subsequently been called into consultation by several other neighborhoods, and its efforts will serve as a successful model for other projects this coming year.
To help create an active road safety culture for our young people, ASIRT and Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association again partnered to hold an exciting road safety public service announcement competition for middle and high school students. To participate, students must first learn about the risks they will encounter on the roads and the ways in which they can protect themselves. View the winning videos shown at the ASIRT Gala.
While ASIRT is proud of its many accomplishments, so much more remains to be done. Globally, well over a million people die in road crashes annually. Every four minutes a young person dies and hundreds more experience life-altering injuries. Road crashes remain the single greatest cause of death of Americans traveling abroad.
Here in the U.S., almost 41,000 people died in road crashes in 2023. Deaths and injuries for pedestrians and bicyclists remain high. Fatality crash rates per miles driven for 16–19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers 20 and over.
As you make your year-end contributions, please consider a donation to ASIRT so that together we can move closer to our vision of a world in which everyone returns home safely to their loved ones.
Warmly,
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Rochelle Sobel
Founder and President
ASIRT
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Stepping Up for Road Safety at ASIRT’s Annual Gala
The stories are powerful. A close call on the roads
while traveling abroad. A family member, friend, or
colleague injured, or worse killed, in a crash.
Everyone has a story. And these stories inspire
action to improve safety on the world’s roads.
Approximately 150 attendees from government
agencies, the diplomatic community, corporations, and supporters joined together at ASIRT’s annual Gala “Step Up for Road Safety” on November 14 in Washington, D.C. Participants marked ASIRT’s accomplishments and leadership in road safety and heard the stories of four individuals and companies who were honored for making road safety a priority. Upon accepting their awards honorees shared personal stories of the impact
of road crashes on their lives or the work that they are doing to help improve road safety.
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From left to right: Master of Ceremonies Andrew D. Koblenz, Kristin Smith (Uber), Bob Holycross (Ford), ASIRT President and Founder Rochelle Sobel, Dr. Melissa Arking (Community Leader), Kim Harrington (U.S. State Department), and Ambassador Stu Jones. | |
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Andrew D. Koblenz, Executive Vice President, Strategic Affairs and Industry Initiatives for the National Automobile Dealers Association, welcomed the guests and served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Rochelle Sobel, ASIRT Founder and President, provided an overview of ASIRT’s activities and accomplishments over the past year.
Senator Norm Coleman, Senior Counsel at Hogan Lovells, delivered a strong message about our obligation to repair the world and emphasized ASIRT’s leadership in improving road safety and saving lives. Senator Coleman stressed that many road deaths are preventable by simple commonsense actions that we can all take to make a difference.
Representative Richard Hudson, North Carolina 9th Congressional District, provided greetings by video. He expressed his commitment to promote road safety practices to protect those in his district, across the country, and around the world. He reaffirmed that Congressman Steve Cohen (Tennessee 9th Congressional District) and he continue to work together to lead the Global Road Safety Caucus to raise awareness of the public health challenges posed by road crashes, especially for those working, living, and traveling overseas. Read more.
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===RSR Fast Fact: Vanuatu
The island archipelago that makes up the nation of Vanuatu lies east of Australia. Among the many cultural traditions inherent in island society is the ingestion of a botanical drink called “kava.” Dating back more than 3,000 years, the ritual drinking of kava has been important for both medicinal purposes, and as a ceremonial drink used in celebrations. Once reserved for men with positions of high rank, kava is now available to tourists at kava bars called “nakamals,” and may even be found in hotels. Not all establishments offering kava allow women to enter, and visitors should be cautious. Prepared kava drinks are unregulated and can produce intoxicating effects that can impair both drivers and pedestrians. Many car rental agreements specifically prohibit drivers from consuming either alcohol or kava.
ASIRT offers Road Safety Reviews for Vanuatu and more than 100 other countries. If you are planning a trip, consult an ASIRT Road Safety Review for your destination countries.
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Update: ASIRT Road Safety Reviews
Recent RSRs include: Antigua and Barbuda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jordan, Malaysia, Uruguay, and Zambia.
Free sample reports can be downloaded at asirt.org/resources. Subscribe or renew to access more than 100 RSRs.
Subscribers can commission ASIRT to develop country reports that are specific to their travelers’ needs and planned routes. Contact asirt@asirt.org for details and pricing.
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Focus On: ASIRT's Newest Board Member Dr. Jasminka Goldoni Laestadius
Dr. Jasminka Goldoni Laestadius is a Medical Doctor with specialized professional training and a PhD degree in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM). She has spent most of her 40+-year career in culturally diverse, international settings at the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (Washington, DC), the World Food Program (Rome, Italy), and the European Commission (Brussels, Belgium).
Dr. Laestadius' expertise covers all aspects of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She is active and has been recognized in the fields of global population health management, data analytics, global road traffic safety, health and safety management systems, and office ergonomics, as evidenced by her numerous peer-reviewed publications, reports, professional presentations, and awards.
Dr. Laestadius is a recipient of the ASIRT 2019 Global Road Safety Championship Award. In 2018 and in 2012 she was presented with the World Bank Group Vice President’s Individual and Team Awards for achievements in Road Safety Program for staff.
A member of the Academy of Medicine of Washington, DC, Dr. Laestadius is also Past President of Metropolitan Washington College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (MWCOEM), and a past Board Director of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
In the UN system, she is a founder and a chair of the UN Health Intelligence (UNHI) Working Group under the UN Medical Directors’ leadership. Dr. Laestadius retired from her position as Senior Occupational Health Specialist in the World Bank Group in September 2024.
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Do You Know?
Top Ten Countries with the Highest Road Crash Fatality Rates
Countries with the highest road traffic fatality rates often face challenges such as poor infrastructure, limited enforcement of traffic laws, and high-risk driving behaviors. The fatality rate is typically measured as the number of road traffic deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
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1. Liberia
Notable Factors: Poor road infrastructure, limited traffic law enforcement and high vehicle occupancy rates.
2. Malawi
Notable Factors: Underdeveloped road networks, low vehicle safety standards, and inadequate emergency medical services.
3. Zimbabwe
Notable Factors: High incidence of speeding, poor road conditions, and inadequate traffic law enforcement.
4. Venezuela
Notable Factors: Political instability, poor road maintenance, and widespread disregard for traffic regulations.
5. Thailand
Notable Factors: High motorcycle use, frequent drunk driving, and lax enforcement of road safety laws.
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6. Tanzania
Notable Factors: Inadequate road infrastructure, poor vehicle maintenance, and a lack of road safety awareness.
7. Dominican Republic
Notable Factors: High levels of traffic congestion, poor road safety culture, and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws.
8. Mozambique
Notable Factors: Poor road conditions, overcrowded public transport vehicles, and limited law enforcement.
9. Central African Republic
Notable Factors: Civil unrest, poor infrastructure, and lack of road safety regulations.
10. Namibia
Notable Factors: High speeds on long stretches of road, poor vehicle conditions, and limited emergency response services.
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Source: Information prepared by ASIRT Advisory Board member Richard Finch
Note: Data may vary by countries and reporting organizations which include World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Transport Forum, World Bank Road Safety data, and European Commission’s CARE (EU Road Accidents Database).
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Congressional Global Road Safety Caucus Co-Chair Representative Richard Hudson Delivers Remarks in Congress for World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims
COMMEMORATING WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS
HON. RICHARD HUDSON OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Friday, November 15, 2024
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks
Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sunday, November 17th as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Each year, the third Sunday in November, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a chance to commemorate the millions of lives lost or injured due to road accidents. On this day we also pay tribute to emergency responders and medical professionals who answer the calls and face the trauma of road death and injury daily.
According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, an estimated 1.35 million people around the world die in road crashes each year. This is a crisis that continues day in and day out in all countries of the world. Affecting primarily our most vulnerable communities and our youth. Therefore, during the new Decade of Action 2021–2030 the World Day will have the important role of helping to achieve the 50 percent road casualty reduction target.
Mr. Speaker, please join me today as we remember the victims of road traffic collisions and their families. In honoring the lives ended too soon, we face the profound losses of the communities they left behind and a responsibility to do everything in our power to ensure these tragedies become rarities. We must protect the lives of all road users, and I hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do that.
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Attendees acknowledge World Day of Remembrance for
Road Traffic Victims at the ASIRT Annual Gala on November 14.
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ASIRT Thanks Its Generous Corporate Sponsors | |
View a complete list of sponsors | |
Support ASIRT's mission to improve road safety. Make a contribution today. | | | | |
