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Programme

Third Road Safety Week, 1 to 7 May 2000

The objectives of the Third Road Safety Week should be achieved by appropriate campaigns at the national level to be organized by Governments and national organizations. The international character of the campaigns will be expressed by:
(i) a common target group - vulnerable road users;
(ii) a common slogan: "PARTNERSHIP ON THE ROAD INCREASES SAFETY";
(iii) a common emblem
(iv) waging the campaign in the same week.
Activities to be carried out by the UN/ECE
The UN/ECE will give all possible support and publicity to the preparation, execution and follow-up to the Road Safety Week. Before the Third Road Safety Week the secretariat should: (i) transmit this Programme, as soon as it is adopted by the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety, to member Governments inviting them to undertake the preparatory work for national campaigns, to monitor campaigns before and during the Road Safety Week and to report on the results achieved to the secretariat;
(ii) transmit the Programme to international organizations concerned inviting them to give support and to contribute to the Road Safety Week;
(iii) give the widest possible publicity to the Road Safety Week by:
issuing an ECE Press Release devoted to the event; creating Internet links between the road safety web sites of member States and NGOs and this ECE road safety web page created to mark the Road Safety Week; using other available channels of international mass media; (iv) hold a workshop on safety of vulnerable road users under the aegis of the UN/ECE;
(v) if possible, make a contribution to the International Festival on Road Safety Film to be organized in Lille by the LASER Association
(vi) elaborate and distribute as widely as possible a brochure containing a message from the Executive Secretary of the UN/ECE, the text of resolution No. 246 of the Inland Transport Committee, a statement by the Chairman of the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety and data and information useful for national campaigns, to be elaborated on the basis of statistical data concerning vulnerable road users. The brochure may be used by member countries as a sample for the design of their own brochures;
(vii) if possible, produce and distribute, in cooperation with member Governments, the UN Department of Information and possibly the LASER Association, a video which could be used by television stations in ECE member States during the Third Road Safety Week.
(viii) organize a round-table debate on: Safety of Vulnerable Road Users is Your Safety at the Palais des Nations in the course of the thirty-fourth session of the Working Party just prior to the Third Road Safety Week;
After the Road Safety Week the secretariat will prepare a report on the Third Road Safety Week on the basis of information received from Governments and international organizations concerned. The report will be used by the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety for the evaluation of the Road Safety Week and the adoption of follow-up action.
The list of envisaged ECE activities and the deadline for their implementation are the following:
 
Deadline for each activity:
1. Adoption of the Programme of the Third Road Safety Week: 1-4 September 1998
2. Transmission of the adopted Programme to member Governments and international organizations concerned: October 1998
3. Issue of a UN/ECE Press Release to be prepared on the basis of the Programme: December 1998
4. Consideration of matters arising from the preparatory work for the Road Safety Week by the Inland Transport Committee: 8-12 February 1999
5. Launch of ECE road safety web site: March 1999
6. Issuance and distribution of brochure: September 1999
7. Issuance of newsletters containing information about the activities planned for national campaigns in member countries: Periodically during 1999
8. If possible, production and distribution,  in cooperation with member Governments, of a video to be used by national authorities: By the end of 1999
9. Organization of a workshop     Autumn 1999
10. Contribution to international festival on road safety film organized by LASER Association: April 2000
11. A round-table debate to be organized at the Palais des Nations: April 2000
12. Elaboration of the report on the Road Safety Week by the secretariat on the basis of contributions from Governments: June 2000
13. Issue of a UN/ECE Press Release summarizing the Road Safety Week: June 2000
14. Evaluation of the Road Safety Week and adoption of follow-up action by WP.1. September 2000
 
Activities to be carried out by other international organizations
The European Commission, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are invited to support the Third Road Safety Week. The International Labour Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are invited to give their support to the Third Road Safety Week by appropriate action dedicated to the objectives of the Third Road Safety Week. The United Nations Postal Administration is invited to consider the possibility of issuing a set of stamps on the theme of the Third Road Safety Week. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is asked to consider inviting national postal administrations to issue a special stamp(s) on the occasion of the Road Safety Week. Non-governmental organizations dealing with road safety, in particular the European Road Safety Equipment Federation (EUROADSAFE), the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR), the International Federation of Pedestrians (FIP), the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA), the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the International Road Federation (IRF), International Road Safety (PRI), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the International Road Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and the International Touring Alliance/International Automobile Federation (AIT/FIA) are invited to give the widest possible support to the Road Safety Week, to provide Internet links to the ECE road safety week web page and to recommend their members to take an active part in national campaigns. The European Broadcasting Union is invited to announce the Road Safety Week to its members and to recommend them to participate in national campaigns. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
National activities to be carried out in the framework of the Road Safety Week and specific messages to be addressed to vulnerable road users (or to a specific subset of this group) should be determined and implemented in accordance with the road safety situation and problems in the particular country.

During national campaigns it may be appropriate to focus on issues relating to vulnerable road users provided they meet the following criteria:

(i) address the various groups of vulnerable road users;
(ii) differentiate between vulnerable road users (or a particular group of them) and other road users (physical and mental abilities, characteristic behaviour, etc.) in particular traffic situations and challenges;
(iii) provide measures designed to improve the safety of vulnerable road users;
(iv) influence mass-media, advertising agencies and private organizations which could shape public opinion to further the aims of the campaigns.
Examples of such issues are:
Disabled persons: relevant traffic rules and regulations, the use of prescribed signs on vehicles driven by disabled persons, special attitude required from other drivers, etc.; Children: relevant traffic rules and regulations, particularities of the behaviour of children on the road and in the proximity to roads, marking of school buses, car seats/restraints recommended for use by children, wearing of seat belts, etc. Governmental and municipal authorities as well as private entities and road users organizations active in the area of road traffic safety and mass media should be involved in the campaign as widely as possible. They should be invited by Governments to contribute to campaigns as early as possible.
In order to ensure the exchange of information about the activities planned for national campaigns, Governments are invited to transmit to the secretariat relevant information and details on focal points, as soon as the programme of the national campaign is established. Information received from Governments should be circulated to all member countries by the secretariat through newsletters and/or Internet.
The implementation of the Road Safety Week should be continuously monitored. After the Third Road Safety Week, Governments are invited to transmit to the secretariat a report on the holding of the Third Road Safety Week in their country with an indication of particular problems and possible lacunas in national and/or international legislation regarding the safety of vulnerable users in order to enable the subsequent evaluation and adoption by WP.1 of follow-up action as referred to in paragraph above