Global Youth Traffic Safety Month takes place in May every year. The month is sponsored by the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N.H.T.S.A). They celebrate it as an annual awareness campaign that encourages youth organizations and youth, in general, to participate in traffic safety projects in their communities and promotes safe teen driving behavior. As part of the month-long campaign, teens and parents can access promotional materials and toolkits designed to help keep teens safe on the road. The month was originally called National Youth Traffic Safety Month. The day raises awareness and aims to inspire individual actions that can change the statistics of road traffic accidents by teens.
History of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
The National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS) is an organization dedicated to creating partnerships that are designed to prevent injuries, save lives, and promote safe and healthy lifestyles among the youth. They designated the month of May as Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. Global Youth Traffic Safety Month began in 2007 in a partnership project with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N.H.T.S.A) in support of their initiative — United Nations Global Road Safety Week, which promotes safety for everyone on the road.
The National Organization for Youth Safety was founded originally as the Traffic Safety Collaboration (T.F.S). For 10 years, it was supported by funding from government agencies, including the Department of Transportation. In 2005, NOYS was incorporated as the National Organization for Youth Safety in Washington, D.C and since then, has grown and expanded from a traffic safety focus to include other safety areas such as substance abuse prevention, injury prevention, and violence prevention. It is on a mission to build partnerships that will save lives, prevent injuries, and promote safe and healthy lifestyles among the youth while encouraging youth empowerment and leadership.
America, with nearly 284 million vehicles in operation, is one of the busiest countries in the world in terms of road traffic as of the third quarter of 2021. This level of traffic is one of the reasons contributing to road accidents. In 2019, there were over 12 million vehicles involved in car crashes in America, with over half that volume being passenger cars. Teenagers are involved in about three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, and road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in this age group. This has led to the need to drastically lower the statistics.
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month timeline
The first meeting of the NOYS takes place in Washington, D.C.
Five-hundred youth are trained by the National Youth Diversity Summit on traffic safety to help reduce risk, injuries, and deaths related to traffic crashes.
NOYS becomes a 501C3 organization and collaborates with partners to develop innovative programs that reach youth with critical safety messages.
NOYS grows to over 100 members and reaches millions of youth annually.
NOYS celebrates 25 years in the fight to prevent injuries and save lives.
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month FAQs
What is the number one cause of accidents?
The number one cause of road accidents is distracted driving.
How can we reduce road accidents?
Drivers should obey the speed limit, yield to pedestrians and cyclists, wear seatbelts, avoid drunk driving, and use child restraints.
Which country has most traffic accidents?
India has just about 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11% of the global road accident deaths, the highest in the world.
How to Observe Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
Spread awareness
Celebrate the day by spreading awareness. This brings more light to the subject matter.
Host a webinar
Host a webinar to educate people on what the month is about. This helps to educate people, especially the youth, better on what Global Youth Traffic Safety Month is about.
Obey traffic laws
Celebrate the day by doing one of the easiest things to do. Obey traffic laws to lower the statistics of traffic-related accidents.
5 Important Facts About Road Safety
The mortality rate is high
More than 1.2 million people die in road traffic accidents every year.
Vulnerable road users suffer a lot
About half of all road crash victims are vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
It affects the economy
Road traffic crashes cost countries about 4% of their gross national product (G.D.P).
Reduction in speed saves lives
For every 0.6mph reduction in average speed, a 2% reduction in the number of road crashes is achieved.
Helmets save lives
Helmets reduce fatal and serious head injuries by about 45%.
Why Global Youth Traffic Safety Month is Important
It saves lives
Observing the month helps to save lives. As more education is achieved on the subject matter, more lives are saved as they are more sensitized.
It boosts the economy
Road traffic accidents cause a country’s G.D.P a significant amount. By observing Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, more accidents are prevented and so the economy is boosted.
It lowers costs for families
Not just the economy takes a hit when a road traffic accident occurs. Families also spend money that could have been used for something else on treating road traffic accidents.
Global Youth Traffic Safety Month dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 1 | Friday |
| 2027 | May 1 | Saturday |
| 2028 | May 1 | Monday |
| 2029 | May 1 | Tuesday |
| 2030 | May 1 | Wednesday |
