Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A seminar on road safety management, planning and management to increase the capacity of the Republican Commission for Road Safety was held on 23 August for ministries and departments dealing with road safety in Uzbekistan. 

Experts shared presentations on the state of road safety, actions to reduce deaths and injuries from crashes, the development of a national road safety policy, actions to manage road safety, and group discussions.

During the opening, Enrico Pinali, Acting Director of the ADB Representative Office in Uzbekistan, noted: “Unfortunately, in 2021, more than 9,000 people were injured on the roads of Uzbekistan, about 2,500 people died. These are unacceptable indicators of the freedom of movement that we all aspire to in Uzbekistan.”

“While the social and emotional costs of road traffic death and injury are incalculable, there are also economic costs. Experts have calculated that the economic damage from road traffic injuries in Uzbekistan is 3.8% of the national GDP. These annual costs negate the efforts to create a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable nation,” said E. Pinali.

From 22 to 26 August 2022, a mission of ADB experts is in Tashkent to support the newly established Republican Commission for Road Safety in Uzbekistan. The Commission was established in April 2022 to implement road safety policy.