OREANDA-NEWS. IRU joined experts from around the Mediterranean to discuss road safety in the region this week.

Organised by the Union for the Mediterranean, this first ever informal Expert Meeting on Road Safety in the Mediterranean brought together experts from key institutions to debate and agree on further action.

Habib Turki, IRU Project Coordinator for Africa and Middle East, said at the meeting that “road transport is a key element of economic integration and growth, and thus good infrastructure and road safety have a direct impact on development.”

“We must remember however that the overwhelming majority of traffic accidents can be attributed to human factors, and thus public awareness, education and professional training, such as that provided by the IRU Academy, are of critical importance.”

Participants expressed their support for a regional approach to road safety and agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a Regional Observatory on Road Safety, based on other successful regional experiences.