National campaign wants to raise public awareness about traffic safety
Yellow May It is a movement to raise awareness about the high rates of traffic accidents and deaths in Brazil. In 2020, 32,716 people died in traffic accidents in the country — a number that grew again after falling 21% between 2015 and 2019, according to data from the National Plan to Reduce Traffic Deaths and Injuries (Pnatrans) and Datasus.
In this context, Yellow May is an important action for drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians to reflect on their responsibilities and how they can do their part to improve these statistics, since traffic accidents are the third cause of premature death in the country.
Created in 2014 by National Road Safety Observatory (ONSV), the initiative encourages actions between public authorities, the private sector and civil society to discuss the topic and search for solutions.
Yellow May has this name because it refers to the month in which the United Nations (UN) defined the first Decade of Action for Road Safety (in 2011) and has the color yellow as its symbol, which is synonymous with attention.
(In)Traffic safety: a problem in Brazil and around the world
World Health Organization (WHO) report published in 2018 — with data from 2016 — showed that 1.35 million people around the world were victims of traffic accidents. This equates to one traffic death every 23 seconds — about the time it took you to get to this part of the text.
This is a global and local problem. To address the issue in Brazil, Pnatrans' target for the period between 2018 and 2028 is to reduce the mortality rate by at least 50%, both by group of inhabitants (deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants) and by groups of vehicles (deaths per 10 thousand vehicles). With this, the expectation is to preserve the lives of 86 thousand Brazilians.
Additionally, the following are also expected:
· The reduction in at least 50% in the number of deaths of motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists — in 2018, there were, respectively, 11,435, 6,018 and 1,363.
· The increase in at least 20% in the share of active mobility modes (walking and cycling).
Are Yellow May and Yellow September the same thing?
In September, traffic safety is debated again, as this is the month of the year dedicated to discussing road safety problems and solutions. urban mobility. It was defined this way because September 22nd is World Car Free Day.
But this is not the Yellow September which you have most likely already heard of. This campaign has nothing to do with traffic — but it has everything to do with preserving life, as its objective is to raise awareness among the population about suicide prevention.
Created by the Center for the Valorization of Life (CVV), Yellow September associates the color of attention with the month in which World Suicide Prevention Day is celebrated (on the 10th).
