Road safety week from May 6-12, UN promotes walking

The United Nations (UN) has declared a road safety week in May and it would be observed as 'zero pedestrian fatality week' focused to promote walking and sensitising governments to invest in pedestrian facilities across the world, said Director of Violence and Injury Prevention wing of World Health Organization Etienne Krug.

The week will be observed from May 6 to 12. Krug said there would be activities across the world including 100 walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, major events in the European Union and Abu Dhabi. The UN is also planning similar walks in India. All international bodies including World Bank and EU have extended their support to make roads safe for pedestrians, Krug said. In India, 12,867 pedestrians got killed in 2011 in road crashes and another 6,824 cyclists died on roads.

In case of Delhi, 690 pedestrians were killed among 1,571 total deaths till November 15. Delhi has fared well in comparison to last year when pedestrian deaths were 856 during the same period. In Bangalore, the city traffic police have taken a novel step recommending cancellation of licence of 1,900 bikers who were found riding motorcycles on footpaths during peak hours.