University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) professor David Schwebel, Ph.D., associate dean for the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, is one of 11 contributors worldwide to author the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new manual Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners. The manual is due for release during the second United Nations (UN) Global Road Safety Week, May 6-12, 2013.
“In some countries, two of every three road traffic fatalities are pedestrians,” said Schwebel, director of the UAB Youth Safety Lab. “The number is one in six in the United States. We want to prevent events that people call accidents. Most pedestrian injuries are preventable with changes in behavior and environment.”
The manual, jointly developed by the WHO, the FIA Foundation, the Global Road Safety Partnership and the World Bank, provides practical information on how to plan, implement and evaluate a pedestrian safety program. It is designed for engineers, planners, police, public health professionals and educators worldwide. The manual will be available to download for free from the UN Road Safety Collaboration located at www.who.int/roadsafety.