May 11, 2011, marks the official launch of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. In support, Transport Canada has designated 2011 as Canada’s Year of Road Safety, asking Canadians to rethink the way they drive in a bid to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world.

Many countries around the world are participating in the launch by illuminating selected landmarks in yellow, Transport Canada says in a news release marking the launch. In Canada, the CN Tower will be lit up to mark the occasion.

Transport Canada calls on Canadians to do their part by:

• driving sober
• wearing a seatbelt
• observing speed limits
• not using cellphone or texting devices while driving, and
• properly securing children in the appropriate child car seats.

Motorists should also always pay attention to vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists), and vulnerable road users should always pay attention when using or crossing a street.

In Canada, one person dies every four hours on our roads and about 500 people are injured per day. Worldwide, 1.3 million people are killed in road crashes each year and about 20 to 50 million are injured. This number is expected to rise over the next 20 years, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

In March 2010, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution establishing the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). This initiative, led by the World Health Organization, aims to first stabilize and then reduce the expected number of road traffic deaths around the world by promoting safety awareness activities at the regional, national and global levels.

More information on the Decade of Action can be found at www.decadeofaction.org and more information on Transport Canada’s initiative can be found at www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety2011.