Civil society organizations from Argentina have been developing education, public awareness and communication campaigns in order to contribute to a reduction in the number of deaths and injuries due to traffic accidents.
“Despite the fact that road accidents are the major cause of death for 15-25 year olds, road safety isn’t a major concern for young people”, notes Lucila de la Serna, president of the Conscientious Driver Association: Families and Friends of the Victims of the Santa Fe Tragedy.
The MINU Civil Association is another charity which is working with secondary school through its Young People, Debating and Constructing Road Safety project, which is focused on public schools in the city of Buenos Aires and in 5 areas within Greater Buenos Aries (San Miguel, San Fernando, Almirante Brown, Florencio Varela and Quilmes).
“Through a dynamic and participatory program, such as one day pretending to be a legislator, we have managed to get young people involved in the complex reality of road safety”, commented the charity’s director Martín Galanternik.
The Foundation for Women for Equality and the Association of Mother’s in Pain have added a gender –related approach to the question of road safety. “Different studies developed in Europe, Canada, the United States, and even in Asia and Africa show that the percentage of men both as the cause and as the victim of road fatalities is significantly higher than that of women, especially between the ages of 24 and 44”, reveals Monique Altshul, president of Women for Equality.
