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About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading mobility organizations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organization. It brings together 243 Member Organizations from 147 countries on five continents. Further details can be found at www.fia.com.
Executive summary
Countries in the Middle East region, particularly in the GCC, have a significant opportunity to improve road safety on their way to “Vision Zero,” which aims for no deaths or serious injuries on the roads. A concerted effort would bring major benefits reducing the numbers of road fatalities, which are high compared with those of many other countries. It would also have tangible implications for healthcare systems and the economy more broadly. Were GCC countries only to attain Target 4 of the 12 global road safety performance targets, they could reduce yearly road fatalities by around 2,800 and achieve a collective economic benefit of approximately US$250 billion over the course of 20 years.
A comprehensive “Vision Zero” strategy requires action in five areas:
Improved infrastructure that integrates safety standards into the design, implementation, operation, maintenance, and use of roads
Road infrastructure design plays a vital role in road safety outcomes. Poor road conditions contribute to as many as half of road crashes. Safe infrastructure supports other road safety areas by encouraging appropriate road user behavior, such as proper speed and correct lane position, and by providing a supportive road environment if things go wrong.
Smart vehicles that meet safety-critical standards
The design and safety features of vehicles protect occupants and other road users when crashes happen. Adopting safety-critical standards can include fixes such as retrofitting new technologies where appropriate, requiring more frequent vehicle inspections in state-of-the-art inspection centers, and encouraging wider adoption of safer vehicles. Connectivity will also be key. Furthermore, emerging vehicle-based technologies such as connectivity, automotive telematics, and automation can improve safety.
Empowered commuters assisted by real-time information sharing
It is vital to adopt a people-centric approach that covers all commuters. For drivers, real-time information—delivered through dynamic message signs, speed indicator displays, or alerts and warnings through in-vehicle units or personal devices—ensures continued awareness of road safety hazards and assistance in decision making.
Efficient operations including advanced traffic and incident management
Effective traffic and incident management can achieve road safety goals. For example, smart traffic lights can be actuated, and signal lengths adapted, based on patterns in traffic data from cameras and sensors flowing through a central control system. Dynamic speed regulation can change speed limits according to real-time traffic, road, or weather conditions so that vehicles drive at the most efficient speed. Similarly, new technological tools can reduce incident detection time. These include AI-enabled incident prediction and detection.
Robust enforcement including the use of cutting-edge technology
Certain offenses are more likely to cause death or injury. These include motorists failing to wear seatbelts, using mobile phones while driving, speeding, running red lights, switching lanes illegally, making U-turns, and driving in the wrong direction on one-way roads. Technology exists to capture these violations automatically, including speed cameras, radar monitoring, and road sensors. There are also mobile violation capture systems such as drones, smart patrol vehicles, radar speed guns, and handheld and vehicle-fitted cameras.
Road safety improvement initiatives could have a positive impact on the GCC’s safety, economy, environment, and congestion
1 Estimate based on GCC countries attaining Target 4 of the 12 global road safety performance targets; analysis uses the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Framework (irap.org).
The road safety strategy needs critical enablers, including political will and supportive policies, improved driver education and awareness through state-of-the-art driving schools with curricula centered on safety, data-informed planning and operations, and interoperable, disruptive technology. Adequate funding is vital, with financing possibilities coming from public-private initiatives such as the implementation of road usage tolling fees.
Improving road safety is a necessity for countries in the Middle East and the GCC in particular. A comprehensive strategy will allow the region to reduce crashes by deploying leading practices, improved management techniques, and the latest technology in a manner that is coherent and has maximum impact. The strategy will save lives and achieve broader economic gains by making roads safer and more efficient.
In the news
Vision Zero: The journey to making GCC’s roads safer
GCC countries are investing to transform and upgrade their armed forces. To succeed they must devote similar attention to the maintenance of assets and vehicles. enerally, GCC armed forces outsource maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) functions to contractors, which is an incomplete solution.
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