In
a significant step towards improving road safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(BiH) and the Republic of Serbia, more than 30 road safety stakeholders from
key BiH ministries and road authorities gathered in Neum for a series of
workshops on Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigations (MDCI). Held from
April 8 to 16, and organized by UNECE and WHO, the workshops aimed to
familiarize participants with MDCI methodology and its potential to enhance the
road safety system.
Both
BiH and Serbia, as aspiring European Union (EU) members, face challenges in
improving road safety. One of the gaps is the lack of tools to analyse and
learn from road crashes with fatalities and serious injuries, and to implement
a safe system approach. These workshops aimed to address this gap by
introducing MDCI as a tool for shaping national road safety policy.
Improving all pillars of the road safety system
At
present, MDCI is not yet part of the national legislation in either country,
but its integration is expected to play an important role in improving all
pillars of the road safety system.
“While
both countries have already incorporated road safety audits and inspections
into their national legislation, MDCI is the next essential step to learn from
collision investigations and prevent further road fatalities. As the custodian
of UN road safety legal instruments, UNECE stands ready to assist regional and
national policy- and decision-makers in their endeavour to minimize and
eventually eliminate road crash trauma for all road users,” explained
Nenad Nikolic, UNECE Regional Adviser.
The
workshops provided participants with hands-on training in analysing real road
crashes and using MDCI data to make informed policy decisions. The aim was to
demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach to collision investigation can
help identify the root causes of crashes and guide the development of more
effective road safety laws, regulations and standards.
“By
adopting MDCI, we can move beyond surface-level analysis and tackle the real
factors contributing to road crashes,” said Mr Samir Dzaferovic, Assistant
Minister in the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH. “This workshop
has been invaluable in equipping us with the knowledge to apply these insights
in our daily work and decision-making processes,” Mr. Dzaferovic added.
Preventing high road fatality rates
Both
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia experience road fatality rates significantly
higher than the EU average. In 2023, the EU average was 46 road deaths per
million inhabitants. In contrast, Serbia recorded 75 and BiH had 72.2. The lack
of MDCI implementation in both countries means that they are missing an
important opportunity to improve their national road safety systems and reduce
fatalities.
The
MDCI pilot workshops are expected to lay the groundwork for legislative changes
in both countries, with the methodology offering a promising approach to reduce
road fatalities and enhance road safety legislation.
The
“Better Road Safety System – Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia” project, based
on in-depth analysis of road accidents in these countries, is funded by the
United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and implemented by the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and WHO.
Event notice
The
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and WHO, in collaboration
with national road safety stakeholders, will hold a series of capacity-building
workshops on Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigations (MDCI) to support road
safety system improvements in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of
Serbia.
The
workshops will bring together more than 30 representatives from key ministries
and road authorities. Participants will be introduced to MDCI methodology and
its application as a tool for analysing serious road crashes, identifying root
causes and developing evidence-based policies.