By Ayomide Otitoju
As the 8th United Nations Global Road Safety Week gets underway, the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a comprehensive toolkit aimed at helping governments promote active mobility—particularly walking and cycling—by making them safer.
Themed “Make walking and cycling safe,” this year’s campaign seeks to spotlight the dangers faced by pedestrians and cyclists globally. According to WHO, nearly 1.2 million people die in road crashes each year, with over 25% of those fatalities occurring while walking or cycling. Despite this, only 0.2% of global road infrastructure includes dedicated cycle lanes, and many communities still lack basic pedestrian safety features such as sidewalks and crossings.
“Walking and cycling improve health and make cities more sustainable. Every step and every ride help to cut congestion, air pollution, and disease,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But we must make walking and cycling safe, so more people choose these healthier, greener options.”
The WHO toolkit provides practical, evidence-based guidance for policymakers, urban planners, health advocates, and civil society groups. Key recommendations include integrating active mobility into national policies, building safe infrastructure, enforcing safer speed limits, launching awareness campaigns, and using financial incentives to promote walking and cycling.
While global statistics show a slight decline in pedestrian fatalities and a plateau in cyclist deaths from 2011 to 2021, regional trends highlight growing risks. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, pedestrian deaths rose by 42%, while cyclist fatalities increased by 50% in Europe and by 88% in the Western Pacific Region.
WHO and its partners, including the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety—which is coordinating support from over 400 organizations across 100 countries—are urging cross-sectoral collaboration to address these rising threats.
“It is urgent to make what should be our most natural means of transport safer,” said Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department for the Social Determinants of Health. “This is paramount not only for road safety but also for public health, equity, and climate resilience.”
