Road Safety was one of the main subjects in the Workplan 2020-2023 of PIARC. It has been made the responsibility of Technical Committee 3.1. One of the Working Groups (3.1.1.) had to report on Specific road safety issues for LMIC’s. The group was co-chaired by Godthelp and Ksentini. The task was to assess and identify best practice activities and to gather specific successful examples of safety improvement and safety management activities with a particular interest on the vulnerable road users. Two comprehensive reports have been delivered in 2023 at the World Road Congress in Prague: an analysis of specific issues based on a literature review and a collection of case studies. Both reports have been presented at the congress by its editors, Godthelp and Ksentini on behalf of the Technical Committee 3.1. . An important conclusion from the analysis reads:
The development of national knowledge centers both at universities and research institutes is to be considered as one of the major issues in the coming years. Following issues deserve priority in LMICs:
-develop university road safety programs at bachelor and master level
– build research capacity in centers of road safety excellence
– connect to regional road safety observatories
– connect to international network of universities and centers of excellence
This conclusion was elaborated by Godthelp in a presentation on the need for a sustainable knowledge infrastructure in LMICs for a special Workshop.
