ADB Promoting Road Safety in PRC
BEIJING, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - ADB is supporting efforts to promote road safety in the People’s Republic of China through a two-week training program on road accident investigation and prevention measures to help police officers familiarize themselves with the use of modern techniques, special equipment and better technology on traffic management. Traffic police officers representing the 31 provinces and autonomous regions of China will attend the training program scheduled on 11 May at the National Traffic Management Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. Road accidents cause health, environmental and social problems, and have significant impact on national economic growth strategies. The United Nations recently integrated road safety into its policies on sustainable development. “The first UN Global Road safety week, held in April, was a clear example of the international concerns about road safety,” said Nigel Rayner, Director of ADB’s Transport Division for East Asia. The UN Global Road safety week was dedicated to young road users. Nearly 400,000 people under the age of 25 are killed in road traffic accidents every year, while millions more are injured or disabled, said Mr. Rayner. The training, part of a technical assistance grant approved by ADB in November 2005 and a national program to help China improve road safety and transport sustainability, is being organized by China’s lead road safety and traffic management agency, the country’s Ministry of Public Security and ADB. The Global Road Safety Partnership, which is cofinancing the technical assistance program, represents the first private sector participation in road safety in China. It is operating on behalf of seven of its business members, including Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Michelin, Renault S.A., Shell, and Toyota Motors Co. Ltd.. Those involved in the technical assistance program include experts and traffic police department representatives from the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Japan, said ADB Senior Transport Specialist Kim Jraiw. Components of the technical assistance have been designed to integrate road safety with the traditional components of road infrastructure planning, design and operation. They include capacity building and skill development, which would entail road traffic law enforcement operations, driving license examiner system, road accident investigation system, community awareness and guidelines, safer road design guidelines, and road hazardous location guidelines. Most developing nations do not have a modern accident investigation system, and the standard practice, equipment and skill are very limited. Such limitations have significant impact on the development of efficient and safe transport systems in developing nations. “A reliable accident investigation system is the basis for meaningful analysis, comparison, the understanding of causes, and the creation of prevention measures,” said Mr. Jraiw. An ongoing training plan for such a system is being developed to expand knowledge to various provinces in China after the technical assistance, he said. The establishment of the new China Road Traffic Management Training Center, in Wuxi City, which was a result of long discussion between ADB and the Ministry of Public Security, will also have a significant impact on the enhancement of road safety and transport sustainability in China, said Mr. Jraiw. About ADB | 
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