Ukraine

Country Summary

Road traffic death and injury are one of the largest obstacles for the development of Ukraine. Every year, more than 7,000 people lose their lives on the roads. Yet with organisations such as the Ukrainian Road Safety Association (URSA), together with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), the problem is being widely addressed.

In March 2010, GRSP and URSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding. GRSP is supporting URSA to deliver effective road crash injury prevention programmes that bolster ongoing efforts in Ukraine to reduce the country’s road trauma toll. This support includes technical assistance in project design, networking URSA with both regional partners and international GRSP members in Ukraine, as well as sharing experience and programmes through other GRSP partnerships.

Throughout 2010, URSA also initiated several activities to raise awareness about road safety; from seat-belts and youth, to the importance of multisector cooperation. Round- table discussions addressed core road safety management issues, such as financing for road safety in Ukraine.

In November, URSA organized ‘Road Safety Week’, prior to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. “Time to Act!” was the slogan of Road Safety Week 2010. The main objectives included raising awareness among politicians, the public and the media about road safety; engaging government agencies in road safety; and winning support from the President of Ukraine for committed action to reduce the number of road crash injuries. The event served as a platform for the development of programming in 2011, and included roundtable discussions, working groups, a contest for journalists and a press conference.

Campaigning and events

Preparations began in 2010 together with GRSP for a seat-belt project, as well as the first Inter-Parliamentary Meeting on road safety, which is being hosted by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and co-organised by URSA and GRSP. The Inter-Parliamentary meeting will take place in November 2011 in Kiev.

URSA also engaged in a partnership with a creative agency for social advertising, developing billboards and city lights that focused on road safety messages. For a duration of one month, 100 billboards and 190 city lights were placed around Kiev. For more information visit the website http://roadsafety.org.ua