UN chief appoints Jean Todt as special envoy for road safety

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday appointed Jean Todt of France as his Special Envoy for Road Safety against the backdrop that 1.3 million people are killed in traffic accidents each year.

As special envoy, Todt will mobilize sustained political commitment towards road safety. He will also advocate and raise awareness about the United Nations road safety legal instruments, and share established road safety good practices, through his participation in global and regional conferences on road safety, according to message of the spokesperson for the secretary general.

Todt is the president of the Federation Internationale de l' Automobile (FIA).

Every year, some 1.3 million people are killed and up to 50 million people are injured on the world's roads. Half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, according to the message.

Road traffic deaths are also the leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 29, and road traffic injuries are the eighth leading cause of death globally, it said.

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed a Decade of Action for Road Safety ("Decade"). The goal of the Decade (2011-2020) is to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic deaths around the world, according to the message.