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Abstract
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Safety 2010 World Injury Conference, London, Abstract:
Safety 2010 World Injury Conference, London, Abstract:
Road traffic crashes take young lives indiscriminately. Every day, over 1000 young people are killed on the world's roads. This issue is a global health concern and is recognised by the World Health Organization as the leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. The vast majority of these deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Environmental factors, developmental factors and gender-related factors come together to put young people at high risk for road traffic injuries. Often, road infrastructures do not accommodate the needs of non-motorised road users and even force them to share the road with motorised traffic. Children face developmental limitations whereas young people actively seek out risk, while they are still inexperienced and dealing with peer influences and social pressures. Finally, several gender specific factors put young males at more risk of being involved in road traffic crashes.
Recognising these risks, young people have mobilised to address global road safety and have pledged to become part of the solution. Youth representatives from around the world have united to form YOURS - Youth for Road Safety, the first global youth non-governmental organisation for road safety. YOURS acts to keep young people safe on the world's roads by: advocating for young people on a global level, inspiring, connecting and uniting young people worldwide; and building the capacity of young advocates.
YOURS would like to challenge researchers and professionals to get more involved in road safety. Together we can explore ways how knowledge, generated through research, can be translated into action. More specifically how it can be presented to young people and policy makers around the world and stimulate youth involvement in road safety, especially in interventions aiming to decrease youth deaths and injuries. |