The Partnership for Road Safety Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI), is starting road safety education and awareness raising project targeting local communities living in the Kakheti region of Georgia. The project is being implemented in close cooperation with the MRDI, the ministries of Education and Science and of Internal Affairs, local government, business and local media. The Roads Department of the MRDI has been implementing a Kakheti Regional Roads Improvement project with World Bank financial support. This new road safety project will help protect local communities in the vicinity of these road improvements from the higher speeds and different road environment accompanying the rehabilitation scheme.
The objective of project is to increase road safety awareness for all people living along, and all road users using, roads in the Kakheti region. This objective will be reached through the development and implementation of joint road safety campaigns involving a partnership of all key stakeholders in government, business, local communities and media.
National statistics show that 6% of those killed and 10% of those injured in road accidents are children aged from newborn to 16 years old. Children are particularly vulnerable as road users, so the campaigns will include specific information on improving their visibility and ensuring their safety as pedestrians and passengers.
Foundation team members hope that this project – the first partnership project supported by the World Bank in Georgia in the field of road safety – will bring tangible improvements and a decrease in casualties on Kakheti’s roads.
