TRAVERSE 97
targets do not encourage employees or contractors to take unnecessary risks.
Manufacturers and the motorcycle industry also have a role. Safer vehicles, appropriate standards and technology can all contribute, but the UN ' s approach recognises that no individual technology can solve the problem on its own.
The same applies to motorcycle organisations, rider groups, training providers and advocacy bodies. They can help promote safety culture, provide education, support better training and, importantly, make sure motorcyclists have a voice when governments design roads and transport policies.
For riders themselves, the message is perhaps more familiar, but it is framed differently.
The declaration calls for a culture of safety that includes the use of protective equipment such as helmets, protective clothing, gloves, boots and personal airbags. It also stresses responsible behaviour, respect for other road users and the need to anticipate the mistakes of others.
In practical terms, that means wearing a properly certified helmet, riding within the conditions, managing speed, never riding impaired, remaining alert and avoiding distractions. It means recognising that another driver may fail to see a motorcycle and riding accordingly.
But importantly, the UN is not saying that rider behaviour is the entire answer.
The philosophy behind the declaration is that even the most responsible motorcyclist cannot compensate for every dangerous road, poorly maintained surface, badly designed intersection or unsafe vehicle. A rider can wear the best protective equipment available and still be vulnerable when a car turns across their path or a road design creates an unavoidable conflict.
That is why the declaration describes road safety as a shared responsibility, while making it clear that governments carry the primary responsibility for creating and enforcing the regulatory framework. Road users are expected to follow the rules, but governments, infrastructure providers, vehicle manufacturers and other organisations are responsible for creating a system in which those rules and safe behaviour can actually work.
The emphasis on motorcycles is significant because two-wheelers are becoming an increasingly important part of global mobility. WHO has previously warned that the number of powered two- and three-wheelers has risen rapidly, while motorcycle use has expanded particularly quickly in developing economies where motorcycles are often the most affordable form of transport.
NEWS
This is not just a developing-world issue. Motorcycle numbers are growing in many countries, while motorcycles, scooters, e-bikes and other two-wheelers are becoming increasingly important to commuting, delivery services, tourism and recreation.
The UN ' s new declaration also calls for stronger roadsafety data. Countries are being encouraged to develop reliable systems that can identify where, how and why crashes are occurring. That matters for motorcycling because a generic statistic saying that a rider was " at fault " tells planners very little about whether the crash involved excessive speed, poor road design, inadequate visibility, vehicle behaviour, infrastructure defects or another systemic factor.
Better data should allow governments to identify dangerous intersections, road surfaces, routes and behaviours and then target investment where it can have the greatest effect.
There is also an important post-crash element. The declaration calls for faster access to emergency and trauma care, rehabilitation and long-term support for crash victims. For motorcyclists, who are disproportionately exposed to serious injury when crashes occur, improving what happens in the minutes and hours after a collision can be as important as preventing the collision itself.
Ultimately, the UN ' s message is that reducing road deaths by half cannot be achieved by asking people simply to " drive safely " or " ride safely ".
It requires safer roads, safer speeds, safer vehicles, better enforcement, better training, better emergency care and better information. It requires governments to fund the work, businesses to take responsibility for the risks they create and riders to play their part.
And for motorcyclists, there is a particularly important shift in emphasis. Rather than treating riders simply as a dangerous minority who need to be controlled, the new global approach increasingly recognises motorcycles as a legitimate and increasingly important form of transport whose users deserve to be properly considered when roads, vehicles and transport systems are designed.
The target is brutally simple: cut deaths and serious injuries by at least half by 2030.
With just four years remaining, the UN ' s message is that there is no longer much time for promises. The challenge now is turning those promises into safer corners, safer intersections, safer motorcycles, better helmets, better training and, ultimately, fewer empty seats at the dinner table.
For riders, that can only be good news. TRAVERSE
TRAVERSE 97