The high-level meeting convened by the UN General Assembly focused on scaling up commitments to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030, according to UN documentation. Emirates News Agency reported that the UAE presented its road safety experience during the event held in New York. This presentation allowed the country to share lessons learned with other member states seeking to meet the same global target.
According to the World Health Organization, the UAE was one of just 10 countries worldwide that reduced road fatalities by more than 50 percent in the decade to 2021. The national road fatality rate decreased by an additional 20 percent between 2021 and 2023, WHO figures show. These achievements position the UAE as a regional leader in road safety within the Eastern Mediterranean area.
The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure implemented a high-speed weigh-in-motion system at 14 strategic locations on federal roads, a WHO report detailed. The automated system measures the weight of moving vehicles without requiring manual checks, addressing the high proportion of heavy goods vehicles on UAE roads. Since early 2024 the initiative has produced a 35 percent improvement in freight vehicle compliance rates with nearly 100 percent accuracy, the assessment found.
Good road safety governance proved essential to the project’s success, with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure acting as the lead authority and the Federal Roads Control Centre providing implementation support, the World Health Organization stated. This structure has contributed to a significant decrease in crashes involving heavy goods vehicles. The measures align with the safe system approach advocated in global road safety strategies.
The UN High-Level Meeting adopted a declaration recommitting member states to accelerated action on road safety, United Nations press releases indicated. Multi-stakeholder panels discussed financing and coordinated interventions needed to address the persistent global crisis. The UAE’s contributions underscored the value of technology-driven solutions in achieving measurable reductions in road traffic fatalities.
The meeting occurred amid the second half of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to cut deaths and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2030, according to the World Health Organization. Between 20 and 50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries from road crashes each year globally, WHO data places. The UAE’s experience offers practical insights for other nations pursuing similar reductions through targeted infrastructure and enforcement programs.
