Road Safety for Young People in the Decade of Action

Floor LieshoutChief Executive | YOURS – Youth for Road Safety

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• Importance to focus on young people• About young people• Why youth participation• Levels of youth participation• What do young people bring to the table• Closing

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• Worldwide, road crashes are the leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds

• Every day more than 1000 young people die on the world´s roads

• Thousands more are injured

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• WHO predicts: unless more comprehensive global action is taken, the number of deaths and injuries is likely to rise significantly

• Youth are the future of tomorrow

• Tony Blair: “It is right that we recognize the particular vulnerability of the young on our roads, because we all have a duty of care to keep our children and young people safe “.

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• There are no problem young road users, there is a young road users problem

• It is the system that makes young people the main victims, for example:• No proper driver training• Bad infrastructure• No or limited traffic laws and enforcement• No or limited access to safe vehicles or helmets• Limited awareness and education programs

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• Brain development: between 20-25 yrs

• Prefrontal cortex:• Impulse control• Judgment• Decision-making• Reasoning

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• Social emotional system of the brain between 14-15 yrs• Social stimuli• Rewards

• Emotion wins from self-control

• Today I see an advert, tomorrow I buy it

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• Young people are more sensitive for social / group pressure / peer influence

• Some young people will take higher risks (negative and positive) than adults in search for a ´kick´

• Young males are higher at risk than young females

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• Inexperience among adolescents and young adults makes them less safe when driving a car or a motorcycle than older drivers

• Overestimation of their own skills

• Environment often not adjusted for their needs• Setting speed limits• Safe playgrounds • Safe school areas

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• Youth culture and life style: • Cars/motorbikes are important• Going out at night and weekends

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Civil Society

(International)GovernmentalOrganizations

Private Sector

Non- GovernmentalOrganizations

Researchers

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• Young people has and wants to play their part in the solution:• UN Youth Declaration on Road Safety

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• Encourage to reach out to young people and increase youth participation:Youth have a right to participate in decisions

that affects themNext generation of stakeholdersDevelopment of skills

• Approach youth as part of the solution, not just as focus of the problem

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1) Young people are manipulated2) Young people are decoration

3) Young people tokenized

4) Young people assigned but informed

5) Young people consulted and informed

6) Adult- initiated, shared decisions with young people

7)Young people lead & initiate action

8) Young people & adults share decision-making

R. Hart (1992) – Florence, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

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• Invitation to use our: • Boundless energy and motivation• Determination: the will to make a change• Skills in the new ´social media´• Abilities for peer education• Capacities as advocates• Expertise of our own youth culture

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Role of youth in the coming Decade of Action

• YOURS will continue to…• mobilize the youth world wide• support the youth on their road safety efforts• further develop the skills of young people• advocate for the needs of young people

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• Road traffic injuries are the leading killer of young people;

• No PROBLEM young road users but a young road user problem;

• Young people and their challengers• Importance of youth engagement• Ladder of Youth participation• Role of young people in the Decade of Action

Contact

web: www.youthforroadsafety.orgemail: floor@youthforroadsafety.org

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