Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) has released a new Policymakers’ Toolkit, a unique advocacy document that will help iRAP partners, policymakers and decision-makers to meaningfully engage with young people for improved road safety.

Tragically, road traffic injuries have been the leading killer of young people worldwide for over a decade. Over 3 billion people – nearly half of the world’s population – are under the age of 25. Of these children and young people, more than 1,000 die every day on the world’s roads. Tens of thousands more are injured.

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030 recognizes youth as a critical stakeholder vital to its successful delivery.

According to Stefania Minniti, Advocacy Director and Floor Lieshout, Executive Director of YOURS, “We believe that the absence of young people in road safety policymaking is a self-defeating travesty. Deaths will continue on the world’s roads without actively engaging and working with young people to develop safe and sustainable mobility systems. Closing the gap between policymakers and youth in the global road safety agenda is at the core of our mission to save young lives. Now, with this Toolkit for Meaningful Youth Participation, we encourage decision-makers worldwide to rethink their perception of youth and their approach to working with young people on road safety. We call for an urgent focus on this leading public health issue for youth.”

The Policymakers’ Toolkit promotes the core principles of meaningful youth participation as a cycle of relationship building, commitment, investment, and a fundamental shift in mindset that can be applied to any organisation, agency or government aiming to work for or with youth.

It includes a road map to guide you through the ins and outs of meaningful youth participation, paving the way for the development, implementation, and evaluation of road safety policies with young people.

It includes case studies that show the tangible benefits of involving young people in local and global road safety efforts, examples as seen through the experiences of youth leaders, and self-assessment scorecards to support the evaluation and tracking of your efforts to meaningfully involve youth.

We encourage our partners to download the Toolkit and ensure youth are considered and prioritised in policy and action to eliminate high-risk roads.

Some of the important ways iRAP is collaborating with YOURS and engaging youth for safer roads include the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) Programme (of which YOURS is a Lead Partner), the Youth Star Master Trainers Programme and in the presentation of global road safety advocacy, events and campaigns.

The Toolkit was initially presented during the High-Level Meeting on Road Safety in June in New York. Etienne Krug, Director, Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organisation with YOURS’ youth ambassadors at the event. (Images credit: YOURS)