Child Road Safety in the Americas: A UN Global Road Safety Week Regional Conference
San Jose, Costa Rica May 7-8, 2015
During United Nations Global Road Safety Week
The Child Road Safety in the Americas Congress, taking place on May 7-8, 2015, during UN Global Road Safety Week, addresses the important public health and sustainable development issue of child road safety in the region, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Because collaboration among disciplines and sectors is essential, participants will include leaders from countries throughout the Americas and globally, who represent government agencies, NGOs, survivor groups, private sector organizations, medical associations, development agencies, and global organizations working to improve road safety. This conference will bring new organizations together with those with a long history of work in the field.
The Congress will include a high-level event with key political, public health, and road safety leaders in the region, organized in collaboration with the Government of Costa Rica. In addition, there will be a pre-conference road safety event open to the public at the National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica (Hospital Nacional de Niños) on May 6, 2015.
Conference agenda topics will span the five pillars of the framework of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. Taking place at the mid-point of the Decade during Global Road Safety Week, which WHO has designated with the theme of “Children and Road Safety,” the conference will feature success stories from LAC that may be adapted elsewhere in the region to improve national and local child road safety. The protection of children as motor vehicle passengers and vulnerable road users will be emphasized. Specifically, emphasis will be given to promoting the use of child restraint systems and protection of child pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycle riders. Conference outcomes will include a consensus document on next steps for collaboration in the region, information sharing, and capacity building for child road safety in the region. Conference languages are Spanish and English.
Agenda (click presentations to download)
6 May 2015
9:30 Press Conference at the National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica and demonstration of the crash simulator.
11:00 Guided tour of the National Children’s Hospital, presentation by Dr. Olga Arguedas, Director of the Hospital.
14:00 Visit to a local school in San José, Road Safety Toolkit developed by IDB, FIA Foundation and Sesame Workshop.
7 May 2015
7:00-8:30 Participants Registration
8:30-9:00 Welcoming Remarks
- Mr. Carlos Macaya :: Automobile Club of Costa Rica
- Dr. Gary A. Smith :: Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Child Injury Prevention Alliance
- Dr. Olga Arguedas :: National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica
- Dr. Lilian Reneau-Vernon :: World Health Organization; Pan American Health Organization
- Honorable Carlos Segnini Villalobos :: Minister of Public Works and Transport of Costa Rica
9:00-9:20 Plenary Address: Status of Child Road Safety in the Americas at the Midpoint of the Decade of Action for Road Safety - Dr. Eugenia Rodrigues :: Pan American Health Organization
9:20-10:00 Pillar 1: Road Safety Management
- National Strategies to Prevent Child Road Traffic Injury in Costa Rica
Moderator – Mr. Germán Valverde :: Consejo de Seguridad Vial [COSEVI] - Inter-American Development Bank’s Commitment to Child Road Safety
Mr. Dalve Soria :: Inter-American Development Bank - Data Management for Child Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mr. Pablo Rojas :: Observatorio Iberoamericano de Seguridad Vial (OISEVI); Argentina National Road Safety Council
10:30-11:30 Mobilizing Youth for Road Safety
- The #SaveKidsLives Campaign
Moderator – Mr. Floor Lieshout :: Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) - Mobilizing Youth in the Dominican Republic for Road Safety
Ms. Angélica Adrian :: PROJuventud - Mobilizing Youth in Brazil for Road Safety
Ms. Diza Gonzaga :: Vida Urgente, Fundação Thiago de Moraes Gonzaga - Road Safety Activities of Youth in Belize
Ms. Zaire Garbutt :: Belizean Youth for Road Safety
11:30-12:30 Pillar 2: Infrastructure
- Moderator – Mr. David Ederer :: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- International Road Assessment Program Activities in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mr. Julio Urzua :: International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) - Share the Road: Non-Motorized Transport and Child Road Safety
Ms. Liana Vetch :: United Nations Environmental Program
14:00-15:00 Private Sector Partnerships for Child Road Safety
- Caribank Activities in Support of Child Road Safety
Moderator – Mr. Glen McCarvell :: Caribank - Visibility of Child Pedestrians
Ms. Paola Diegues :: 3M Latin America
15:00-15:30 Break and Networking
15:30-16:30 Pillar 3: Safer Vehicles
- Moderator – Mr. Carlos Macaya :: Auto Club of Costa Rica
- New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mr. Alejandro Furas :: Latin NCAP - Designing Cars and Restraint Systems to Protect Child Occupants
Dr. Srini Sundararajan :: Ford Motor Company
16:30-16:45 Day 1 Wrap-up and Announcements
19:00-21:30 Conference Dinner at Restaurant Anphorna
8 May 2015
7:30-8:30 Networking
8:30-9:00 Plenary Address: Promoting Motorcycle and Bicycle Safety for Children: Affordable Helmets
Mr. Greig Craft :: Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
9:00-10:30 Pillar 4: Safer Road Users
- Establishing Public Policies in Uruguay to Protect Child Passengers in Cars and School Buses
Ms. Maria (Nani) Rodriguez :: Fundación Gonzalo Rodriguez - Safety Restraints for Children with Special Needs
Dr. Marilyn Bull :: American Academy of Pediatrics; NCD Child - Road Safety for Children in School Zones in Haiti
Mr. Eric Remacle :: Handicap International - Going to School in Brazil: Risks and Safety
Dra. Alessandra Bianchi :: Universidade Federal do Paraná - Child Road Safety in Chile
Mr. Alberto Escobar :: Automobile Club of Chile
10:30-11:00 Break and Networking
11:15-12:30 Preventing Future Tragedy: The Voices of Survivors
- Mapfre Foundation Activities for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
Moderator – Ms. Moe Petterson :: Fundación Mapfre, Panamá - Remembering the Victims
Ms. Jeanne Picard :: Federación Iberoamericana de Asociaciones de Victimas contra la Violencia Vial (FICVI) - Preventing Deaths among Youth Associated with Impaired Driving in Guyana
Ms. Denise Dias :: Mothers in Black, Alicea Foundation - Project Yellow Light
Ms. Julie Garner
14:00-15:00 Pillar 5: Post-Crash Response
- Moderator – Dr. Olga Arguedas :: National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica
- Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Systems and Children
Mr. Carlos Herrera Artavia :: Red Cross of Costa Rica - The Importance of Trauma Systems in Providing Optimal Care for Injured Children
Dr. Marco Vargas :: National Children’s Hospital of Costa Rica - The Unique Needs of Children During Hospital-Based Care
Dr. Mercedes Bernadá :: Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez
15:00-15:30 Break and Networking
16:30 Cultural Activity
15:30-16:30 Post-2015 Vision for Child Road Safety
- Post-2015 Vision for Child Road Safety in the Americas
Moderator – Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz :: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Child Road Safety Post-2015
Ms. Natalie Draisin :: FIA Foundation - Plans of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile for Child Road Safety Post-2015
Mr. Luca Pascotto :: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) - Child Road Safety and the Second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia
Dr. Maria Cristina Alcântara Andrade Hoffmann :: Ministry of Health of Brazil
16:30-18:30 Closing Ceremony and Reception
- Conference Summary and Next Steps
Dr. Gary A. Smith :: Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Child Injury Prevention Alliance - Introduction of Guests of Honor for Closing Ceremony
Mr. Carlos Macaya :: Automobile Club of Costa Rica - CLOSING CEREMONY DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
Minister Fernando Llorca Castro
Minister of Health of Costa Rica - Children present Child Road Safety Declaration
View photos from this conference on Flickr. View text from this page in Spanish and Portuguese.