Improvements to the crash protection and safety features in vehicles have been proven to reduce the numbers of road deaths and serious injuries. In recent years, there have been significant advances in vehicle safety that protect occupants and other road users and improve the ability to avoid crashes. Increasing the proportion of newer vehicles ( which have higher standards of safety features), both in company fleets and privately owned vehicles will substantially reduce risks for all road users – drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.

However, in this sector, the current economic environment in most LMICs, suggests that older vehicles, second hand cars and in some regions, para transit , motor cycles and non-motorised vehicles will remain a major part of the fleet for the foreseeable future. Unsafe vehicles will also continue to be imported or manufactured domestically unless action is taken. It is important to ensure that only vehicles meeting minimum safety standards are permitted to use the public roads. Governments need to adopt legislation to prevent import of new vehicles that do not meet the basic UN safety requirements. Second hand (used), imported vehicles should be required to pass a roadworthiness inspection before being permitted to use public roads in the importing country and the existing vehicle fleet should be subject to regular periodical technical inspections. This inspection and control system should include random roadside checks and unannounced checks/supervision of the testing stations to check quality of inspections and to minimise corruption

Textbooks and /or training materials that will be prepared in this sector include guidance on vehicle inspection and on the most important UN conventions and EU Agreements affecting road safety.