Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Progress Declaration on road safety with 162 votes in favor, one against, and no abstentions. The declaration commits governments to strengthen national road safety systems, improve vehicle and infrastructure standards, and implement the ‘Safe System’ approach, which designs roads and vehicles to better withstand human errors.
The United States opposed the declaration, expressing concern over provisions linking road safety with climate and environmental measures. The US representative described these as "mandate creep" and argued that road safety should focus on engineering, responsible driving, and personal responsibility, instead of enforcing global climate policies.
Other countries expressed reservations: Argentina emphasized its sovereign right to implement the declaration according to national law and reserved its position on the World Health Organization’s role. Paraguay noted that the declaration and follow-up processes are voluntary and non-binding.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock highlighted the scale of road safety issues, noting annual deaths exceed 1.2 million, with around 50 million injuries worldwide—more than those killed in conflicts, murders, or by malaria. She personalized the issue by recalling a family loss due to a traffic incident.
According to new World Health Organization data, the global road death rate has declined by 21 percent between 2011 and 2025, despite a significant increase in vehicle numbers. Still, road crashes caused approximately 1.16 million deaths in 2025, and road injuries remain the leading cause of death for people aged 5 to 29.