A new report by Kevin Watkins tries to make visible the horrifying threat to children's health that road traffic presents. It is the leading cause of death globally for young people between the ages of 10 and 24, reports Sarah Goodyear.
What should be the most pressing issue for those concerned about the welfare of the world's children? Malaria? HIV/AIDS? Access to clean water?
According to the new report "Safe and Sustainable Roads: An Agenda for Rio+20," authored by Kevin Watkins, a non-resident senior research fellow at the Brookings Institute, and published by the Campaign for Global Road Safety, road traffic is the world's silent killer of children. "The sheer scale of the road traffic injury epidemic is not widely recognised. There is a widespread tendency to see that epidemic in terms of isolated and unpredictable events -- as ‘accidents' that befall unlucky individuals. In fact, there is nothing unpredictable about road traffic injuries. And the ‘road accident' vocabulary deflects attention from the systemic nature of the risks that claim so many, many lives," argues the report.
"The economic costs of all these traffic-related fatalities, in terms of lost income, lost educational opportunities, and health care expenditures, are massive. And yet there is no philanthropist stepping in with a huge check to fund prevention of traffic deaths, the way Bill Gates has with malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. Instead, world financial institutions have pumped billions of dollars into road infrastructure, while dedicating only a tiny fraction of that to road safety," writes Goodyear.
FULL STORY: Road Traffic 'Single Biggest Source of Fatality' for Young People Worldwide
How Extreme Heat Impacts Children
As summers get hotter and more dangerous, parents can take steps to protect kids from heat-related illnesses.
Concrete to Community: A Schoolyard Makeover in West Philly
With guidance from the Trust for Public Land, third graders at Overbrook Elementary are leading the redesign of their asphalt schoolyard into a vibrant green space, learning valuable skills and creating lasting community impact in the process.
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
How a tidal wave of potential changes at the federal level could throw many programs planners depend on into chaos, a roundup of last year’s zoning stories, and the continuing ripple effects of a landmark Supreme Court case.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie