|
|
|
|
|
ALLIANCE ADVOCATES READY FOR ACTION
Yesterday, the 2017 cohort of 14 Alliance Advocates graduated. Over the past two weeks, they have fine tuned their action plans and learned about power mapping, fund-raising, monitoring and evaluation, and more. The Advocate training uses in-house expertise through Alliance members and partners, in particular YOURS, which facilitated the training, and FedEx, which generously hosted the training and ran communications sessions. The Advocates also had the opportunity to try out the new iRAP Star Rating for Schools app. See local news coverage HERE.
The Advocates will now put what they have learned into action. They will use their action plan to reduce road fatalities in their home countries. In Nigeria, Ola Oshu, Safety Beyond Borders, will be advocating for three-star roads, while in Ecuador, Estaban Parades, Fundación CAVAT, will tackle distracted driving.
The Alliance is extremely proud of both cohorts of Advocates. The 2016 graduates have already made a significant impact on road safety in their home countries. You can read about their achievement in a new feature on our website HERE. Profiles of the 2017 Advocates will be added soon.
Read more about this year's Alliance Advocate training in our press release HERE and read reflections from two of this year's graduates BELOW.
|
|
|
“BEYOND EXPECTATION”: REFLECTIONS FROM THE ALLIANCE ADVOCATES
To find out what the training means to the Advocates themselves, we interviewed two of the 2017 cohort, Texel Cossa, Amend, Mozambique, and David Razboršek, Zavod VOZIM, Slovenia. We wanted to know what makes the training so special and how it will impact their work.
“It is a huge responsibility to be one of 14 advocates chosen to support the 192 [members of the Alliance],” said Texel. Both David and Texel described the training as “beyond expectation.” They praised the content and facilitators, and most of all “how they managed to transform a group of 14 Alliance members into a happy family with the same vision” as Texel said. “They have turned us into one spirit and one voice in a short period of time.”
The training's impact will be long-lasting. David said, “The improvement will be how to do it more professionally: more efficiently, goal oriented, and evidence based. The whole process of advocacy in every phase will be more efficient and will result in saving more lives. I can’t wait to take that back.” Texel added, “After training, everything we do will be SMART from the beginning…identifying our objective and sticking to the objective. I have gained powerful tools to go back and execute our plans.”
Read the full interview HERE.
|
|
|
WORK-RELATED ROAD SAFETY WEBINAR COMING SOON
One third of crashes involve driving for work. The Alliance is pleased to announce that, next month, we will be partnering with Alliance members EASST and ACM to launch a new webinar: “How your NGO can reduce work-related road casualties.” The webinar will be presented by EASST and feature an ACM program that works with public and private organizations to reduce casualties through occupational driving. Read more about ACM’s successful program BELOW.
The webinar will present the case for improving work-based road safety management, how this links to the SDG targets, and what NGOs can do. Alliance members will receive an invitation to sign up for the webinar soon. Members who sign up will also receive a discount code for EASST’s accredited online training course.
EASST and ACM are experts in the field of occupational road safety and we are pleased to partner with them. Read more about the webinar and sign up HERE.
|
|
|
ACM PROGRAM REDUCES PUBLIC TRANSPORT CRASHES BY 48%
In two cities in Moldova, Alliance member ACM has reduced the number of serious road collisions involving public transport by 48%, the number of fatalities by 85%, and the number of injuries by 53% over three years. These impressive statistics were accomplished through local partnerships in Chisinau and Tiraspol. ACM’s partners include bus, trolleybus, and taxi companies, the municipality and police, and private sector organizations.
They started with a strong evidence base, collecting data on crashes in the two cities and taking learning from successful fleet management safety programs in other countries. From the data they had collected, they were able to identify where improvements were needed and implement specific actions to address these.
Hear more about the program from Tatiana Mihailova, project manager at ACM, by signing up for the new webinar. Read more HERE.
|
|
|
ALLIANCE RESPONDS TO PROPOSAL FOR NEW UN ROAD SAFETY FUND
Of Alliance members surveyed in the learning needs assessment in 2015, 68% considered funding to be their biggest challenge. This is backed up in the draft proposal for a new UN road safety fund, which finds that road injury prevention currently is “not adequately funded at local, national and global levels.”
One role of the Alliance is to advocate for road safety NGOs. We therefore welcome the proposal for the fund, which we consider to have huge potential for building the capacity of NGOs to tackle road deaths and meet the SDGs. The Alliance’s response to the draft proposal expressed support and made suggestions based on our expertise in supporting road safety NGOs:
- A stronger emphasis on the role of NGOs
- A budget specifically reserved for NGOs and accounted separately, to enable faster delivery
- A clear and public selection process with information accessible to all stakeholders
- Annual consultation with NGOs and other stakeholders
In particular, we would like to congratulate Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, who was instrumental in pushing for the creation of this fund. Read more HERE and view the draft consultation HERE.
|
|
|
CROSS-BORDER PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS DRUNK DRIVING IN AFRICA
Alcohol is one of the top two causes of road crashes in Mozambique. Alliance member Mozambique Association for the Victims or Road Insecurity (AMVIRO), believes that cultural attitudes toward alcohol play a big part in this: being generous with alcohol is a marker of status and wealth and a party is not a party without alcohol.
At the recent Global Meeting in May 2017, AMVIRO formulated a partnership with another Alliance member, South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD). SADD is well-known for its expertise in drunk driving campaigning, education, and victim support in a country with the highest rate of alcohol related road deaths in the world.
As a result, in July, AMVIRO, hosted its first workshop on alcohol and speed in driving, featuring Caro Smit, SADD, as the key speaker. SADD has also provided course materials for short- and long-term training programs, and is providing technical expertise. AMVIRO has great plans ahead to use the materials with professional and private drivers, police officers, and others.
The Global Meeting has proved many times to be a catalyst for new partnerships, and we at the Alliance are delighted to see the mutual benefit that AMVIRO and SADD can derive from working together. Read more HERE.
|
|
|
|
IPHONE LAUNCHES NEW ROAD SAFETY FEATURE
Apple has announced that its next iPhone software update, due for launch in the fall, will feature a “do not disturb while driving” mode.
The iOS 11 update will provide all iPhones, not just new ones, with the function, which is designed to address the dangers associated with smartphones and distraction. The iPhone will activate the “do not disturb while driving” feature automatically when it is connected to the car via Bluetooth or USB. Alternatively, it will use a phone’s Wi-Fi antenna to sense when it is moving at car speeds, although passengers will be able to override the feature.
Apple’s move is a big step toward helping drivers to do the right thing and to resist the temptation to use their phones while driving. Read more HERE.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
