On 22nd November 2012, Tatiana Mihailova of the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM) was invited to speak on the UN Decade of Action and the ACM’s current casualty reduction project at an event hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Tatiana Mihailova (right) wears the yellow UN Decade of Action tag
Tatiana was first to speak at the conference, describing it as a “great opportunity to share with UN staff information about the road safety campaigns of ACM and EASST and to update them on our work within the framework of the UN Decade of Action”. In May 2011, Moldova took part in the launch of the Decade of Action which aims to save 5 million lives globally by 2020. Initial progress in Moldova so far has been encouraging. The ACM has conducted many campaigns across the country, conveying to road users the importance of seat belt wearing, safe driving, and child safety. While road crashes remain a challenging problem, the survival rate from crashes is beginning to improve – according to police data an 8% decrease in fatalities compared with the previous year. The ACM’s latest campaign in the city of Comrat saw an 18% decrease in road crashes and a 24% increase in seat belt wearing rates among front seat passengers during the period of the campaign.
Tatiana also informed conference delegates of the ACM’s current project with the UNDP. The ACM and EASST are working within the framework of the ‘Support to Confidence Building Measures’ of the United Nations Development Programme to carry out a ground-breaking programme encouraging cross-border dialogue. EASST partners the Automobile Clubs of Moldova and Transnistria (a break-away region within the boundaries of Moldova) have organised training and mentoring for the relevant authorities in the capital cities of Chisinau and Tiraspol with a view to reducing road casualties in those cities. Experts from the Kent Casualty Reduction Partnership in the UK and EASST partners from Armenia and Ukraine are working with local stakeholders in both cities to encourage their collaboration. The city authorities are now sharing ideas and information, and have begun the establishment of local partnerships for reducing road deaths.
