The Role of Cultural Diversity in
the Management of Road
Safety6th Global Interactive Forum on Traffic and Safety(GIFTS), Tokyo, 26-27 November, 2020
Dr Soames Job

Kazuyuki Neki

Global Lead Road Safety, World Bank

Junior Professional Officer

Head of The Global Road Safety
Facility

The Global Road Safety Facility, WorldBank

sjob@worldbank.org

kneki@worldbank.org

Overview of presentation(leading to 4 conclusions)2 Culture, race, politics, location, climate,economy: complex inter-relationships (not easilyseparated) Cultural differences in Road User Behavior arecommon

 However: many underlying causes Including: Management of Road Safety
 Culture influences the Management of RoadSafety, which influence behavior

 Examples of variations….across road safety pillars

Personality versus Situation
3

Human behaviour:

is more determined by:
Situation than personality
Road Safety Management determines theroad situation

Culture and Behavior

Central America:
Bull-fighting traffic

Latin America ……

N. Africa: No Seat-belts

Middle East:No Helmet plus risk

Cultural Variations between and5within Nations

Cultures vary within, as well as between, countries
 These influence Road Safety
 Race Indigenous people (Aborigines) within Australia have a higher crashdeath rate versus rest of the population
 Same in New Zealand (Maori people), and elsewhereReligionE.g., head-dress which prevent motorcycle helmet use

Rural versus metropolitan (cultural differences are often growing) Rural people: commonly many times the crash death rate
 Rural people/rural roads: less compliance with the law (BUT....lessenforcement, higher speeds, slower emergency response)

Many causes: more rural, less wealth (well established factor influencing
safety of vehicles, quality of education, safety of local roads,enforcement & compliance with laws)

Who manages Road Safety:
Police Forces as a guide

6

Culturally and historically determined outcomes

United States: Over 18,000 police forces (State, county Police,county sheriffs, municipal police, …..

Brazil: Over 5,000: federal, state, local/municipal. Some, not all, doroad safety enforcement.

Some countries- just national PoliceAustralia: managed at State/territory level, with just 8state/territory police forces.

Road crash Deaths & Economy(Dahdah & Bose, 2013)

7

Road Crash Deaths & Economy:

Huge variations not explained by economy 8

Cultural Impacts on Road
Safety Management
Retards Strong
Management

Facilitates StrongManagement1.
2.

High societal value on humanlife
Strong scientific evidence
background3.

Prevention is supported

4.

Societal responsibility is valued

5.

Governments and law
enforcement are credible

6.

High level of education

7.

Well regulated public transport

9

1.

Individual freedom is prioritized2.

Common-sense style argument ispowerful

3.

Significant public corruption4.

Government management of roadsafety is fragmented

5.

Private sector responsibility is low

6.

Private sector profit is valued

7.

Fatalistic beliefs

ManagementInfluence
through

Behavior

Large Variations in Management
Policy even within Income groups

11

Income Countrylevel

National Seatbelt Law Coverage(Front and Rear Seat occupants)

HighJapan

Front and Rear

High

Antigua andBarbuda

NoHighUnited States Varies by state (in some, not rear seats, and nota primary offence)

MiddleEcuador

Front and Rear

MiddleBangladeshNoMiddle

Lao PDR

Front onlyLow

UgandaFront and RearLow

AfghanistanNoLow

Nepal

Front only (Source: World Bank 2019, WHO 2018)

Random Breath testingfor Alcohol
Powerfully effective….
Due to differences in legal/cultures: Adopted in Australia, New Zealand, Legal but can be refused in Brazil
 Illegal (‘unreasonable Search’) inUnited States

12Management
Influence
throughSpeed

South America

People forced toinstall their own
speeds humps

East Africa

Culture and Speed Management
Speed cameras may be:Banned as illegal (Privacy issues,……..)

Impossible to employ due to poorvehicle registration andidentification (See GRSF Guide on
Camera Readiness)Allowed but not to photographdriver or passengers (Privacy issues)Allowed and able to photographdriver and passengers

Allowed but with warning signs
versus not15

But ……
warning signs

Large Variations in Management
Policy even within Income groups
Incom Countrye level

Default
Urban Limit(kph)HighJapan

6060

HighUnitedStates32 to 128

32 to 128

HighFrance50

17Difference Default
Difference
withinRuralwithin
Income Gp Speed Limit Income Gp7890

Middle Ecuador

60120

Middle Bangladesh112112

Middle Lao PDR

40

Low

Afghanista
n9090

Low

Liberia

4056

Low

Uganda5072

5090

1006830

44

Management
Influence
through

VehiclesSchool Buses

19

South-East Asia

United States

That is if children even go to20
school:Child labor is common in many countries
West Africa

Public Transport

Sub-Saharan Africa
South East Asia

West Africa
Australia

Management
Influence
throughRoad
Infrastructure

RoadsAustralia

23

South AsiaJapan

New Zealand

Bus stops

24

South East Asia
United States

West Africa

Footpaths

25

Highway Southern Sahara
Central Asia

Australia

North Africa

Management
Influence
through

Post-CrashCareAmbulance
Equipment
What we might
expect/hope

What we get in
Sub-SaharanAfrica27

I promised 4 core messages

28

1. Cultural differences within countries matter in roadsafety (there is a growing neglect of the rural roadsafety problem)
2. Cultural differences are not restricted to on-road
behaviors
3. Culture (not just economy) deeply influence roadsafety management
4. Road safety management influences on-road
behavior.

Thank you for your attention
Soames Job & Kazu Neki