Accident-Free Roads on agenda at the CAREC meeting in Dushanbe
The road safety issues were discussed by transport experts from the countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program during a seminar organized by the CAREC Institute and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Dushanbe on 30-31 August.
The participants of the seminar, chaired by Tajikistan, prioritized the implementation of measures to improve the practice of safe roads, and discussed the possibilities for regional cooperation in this area
The representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Health Organization and the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport also joined the discussions on ensuring safety and sustainability of the highways and roads in the region.
The traffic accidents are the sixth major cause of death among the population in Central Asia.
The CAREC road safety strategy for 2017-2030, adopted last October, aims to save 23,000 lives and prevent 250,000 serious injuries annually.
The CAREC partnership platform covers Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and six multilateral institutions - ADB, EBRD, IMF, IDB, UNDP, WB.
In September, Turkmenistan traditionally holds the public road safety campaign, envisaging wide activities to promote the observance of traffic rules, both among drivers and pedestrians. In February 2016, the country adopted the National Program on ensuring road safety for 2015-2017 and its action plan.
