This week marks the first ever United Nations Global Road Safety Week. From tomorrow, a number of initiatives will take place to highlight the devastating impact road deaths and injuries have on families and communities worldwide. Road traffic collisions kill nearly 1.2 million people every year and are the second leading cause of death for people aged five to 25, according to the UN. The key themes of the week will be road safety education, young male drivers and anti-speeding.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

"Young men, as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, novice drivers and passengers, are nearly three times more likely to be killed or injured on the roads than young women, " said a spokesman for the Road Safety Authority, which is sending two young people to represent Ireland at the World Youth Assembly for Road Safety in Geneva this week. At the assembly, young people from around the world will launch the Youth Declaration for Road Safety, a document describing the views of young people, which will be used to spur action around the world.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Road safety will once again hit the headlines . . . a topic particularly relevant in Ireland at the moment. The main objective of the campaign (LEFT) is to raise awareness of the societal impact of road traffic injuries and promote action on speeding, drinkdriving and the wearing of helmets and seatbelts. What difference this week, like all other promotional weeks, will make to Ireland's situation is probably negligible. But it's worth a shotf