The International Road Victims Partnership (IRVP) has been accepted into the UN Road Safety Collaboration, a multi-disciplinary consultative group which coordinates the global road safety efforts.

RoadPeace was a founding IRVP member, and welcomes this recognition of the IRVP, an association of organisations mostly established by the bereaved, as RoadPeace was. Widespread cultural and systemic change is required to eliminate road deaths, injuries and road danger, and the voice of victims is needed in achieving this change.

Launched in March 2018, IRVP has over 90 members. In addition to being a member, RoadPeace acts as its Justice Advisor. This has included undertaking surveys of their members and producing reports on two topics, key to IRVP members.

The first report, Road Death Investigation Survey Report, was presented at last week’s meeting of the Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs in Crete. RoadPeace spoke on the findings which covered the need for

• National standards
• Mandatory impairment tests
• Road death investigation manual
• Training programmes
• Quality assurance procedures
• Transparency with budgets and outcomes
• Victims being informed and kept updated

Many in the audience thanked IRVP and RoadPeace for highlighting the problems with investigation which cause so much additional suffering and injustice in all countries.  One of IRVP’s members from Uganda, Hope for Victims of Road Traffic Accidents, spoke about the difficulties families had in getting information on the collision and the investigation. He had been able to present the report to the National Road Safety Agency in Uganda  and said the police were now wanting to work with him to do better.

The second report, Victims Rights, just launched, included responses from 72 members from six regions around the world. That survey tackled the issue of how crash victims were treated by the justice systems around the world. It asked about defining legislation on victims rights and if victims of road crime were included.  Members were also asked about the right to information and support as well as their right to appeal the charging decision and to speak at court.

A common key problem was road crime not being seen as real crime by the justice system. This included South Africa where over 58% of road deaths involve drink driving—there drink driving is not seen  to be a crime–so those injured by a drink driver do not receive the same support as do those injured in an assault by a drunk pedestrian.

See why IRVP is needed?

The World Health Organisation has produced Global Good Practice Manuals on many topics including drinking and driving, speed management, seat belts, pedestrian safety, helmets. Is it time for good practice manuals on Collision investigation or Victims Rights?  Watch this space, UN Road Safety Collaboration—on behalf of their loved ones killed on the road, IRVP is here to make a difference.

Updated on: 15 April 2019