Road Safety

Safer road transport

IRU unites industry, governments and partners to prevent accidents, save lives and make commercial road transport safer worldwide.

Road safety is and has always been the industry’s top priority.

Road accidents have a huge cost. Every person killed or injured is one too many. And accidents also mean disrupted supply chains, immobilised vehicles, higher insurance premiums and repair costs.

Human factors are the main cause of road accidents. In commercial road transport for example, over 85% of truck-related accidents are caused by human error, three quarters of which are due to the non-commercial driver.

Our approach

IRU’s work aligns with the UN’s global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety and its pillars: road safety management, safer vehicles, safer road users, safer driving environments, and post-crash response.

Our approach is practical, evidence-based and built to deliver effective and measurable results with a well-structured, skilled and formalised sector.

We focus on three key areas: safe drivers, safe vehicles and safe operating environments.

Our actions

IRU combines runs programmes that governments, operators and technology partners can implement and scale.

Harmonisation of Standards – Ratification of International Conventions

One of the most effective levers lies in the harmonisation of road traffic regulation through internationally agreed conventions, providing a coherent and consistent framework that enhances the safety, efficiency, and smooth functioning of road traffic across borders. The following map illustrates the extent to which countries have embraced this framework. Each country is coloured to reflect the number of core road safety conventions it has ratified—from the highly harmonised (dark blue) to those yet to commit (light blue). The map underscores both the progress made and the gaps that persist in global road safety harmonisation, highlighting where coordinated action and technical assistance could save lives and support safe, seamless international transport.

Conventions envisioned in the map analysis: Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968), Convention on Road Signs and Signals (Vienna, 1968), Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR Convention, Geneva, 1956), Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), 1997 Agreement concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions for Periodical Technical Inspections of Wheeled Vehicles, 1998 Agreement concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts, 1970 Agreement on the Transport of Perishable foodstuffs (ATP), Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention, Geneva, 1975), Customs Convention on Containers (Geneva, 1972).