Whether you travel by car, public transit or on foot, road safety matters to everyone. Each year, about 1.25 million people die and another 50 million are injured in road crashes worldwide, making safe travel an urgent global concern.
On May 13, the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) will host a tourism and travel summit on Capitol Hill focused on addressing the safety challenges that accompany travel. The event will be held at the Senate in Washington, D.C., and is cosponsored by Senator Chris Van Hollen.
The summit brings together a wide range of stakeholders: representatives from the tourism and hospitality industries, U.S. government agencies, the insurance sector, tourism ministries and embassies, education abroad programs, media, civil society organizations, tour guides and multinational corporations. Panel discussions will examine current and future strategies to improve road safety for residents and visitors alike.
Iconic local transport — from rickshaws and motorcycle taxis to brightly painted buses on winding coastal roads and even official city taxis — can add color to a trip but also carry serious risks. Travelers who prepare and learn about local hazards still face danger when infrastructure is poor or regulations are weak or poorly enforced. Contributing factors to crashes include inadequate road maintenance and gaps in rules, such as limits on driver hours and mandatory rest periods for bus and taxi operators.
Rochelle Sobel, ASIRT’s founder, personally understands the stakes. In 1995 she lost her son Aron Sobel in a preventable bus crash in Turkey that killed 22 passengers. That tragedy motivated her decades-long work to reduce road injuries and fatalities worldwide.
“Tourism makes a huge contribution to many countries’ economies, and road safety is a key part of that equation,” Sobel says. “Safe roads save lives, support commerce and encourage tourism. At the summit, panelists will share strategies to improve road safety for their constituencies. Travelers will also learn how to become better informed road-safety consumers and will have a chance to raise questions and share experiences with experts.”
For summit details, updates and practical safety information for travelers and families, visit the ASIRT website, which offers resources to help you stay safer while exploring the world.