At the end of December, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Social Protection, the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM), and the WHO Country Office in Moldova organized a national policy dialogue on road safety.

The purpose of the high-level meeting—which included over 60 delegates representing the National Road Safety Council; the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure; the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Research; the National Patrol Inspectorate; the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations; the State Road Administration; the Public Services Agency; ambulance services and public health centers; driving schools; NGOs; and others—was to discuss the most serious road safety issues in Moldova and identify solutions to reduce the number of road traffic casualties.

Among the key issues addressed were speeding and drunk driving—the two leading causes of road accidents in the country. It is estimated that about a quarter of road accidents in Moldova are caused by exceeding the legal speed limit, while in 2019, drunk driving resulted in over 250 accidents and claimed 32 lives.

Given these statistics, it was agreed that urgent action is needed, and the meeting concluded with the development of a new set of measures aimed at strengthening road safety, with a focus on these two risk factors. The National Road Safety Council will formally present the proposed actions to the Prime Minister for national-level approval.

The meeting itself drew media attention, highlighting road safety and the need for urgent action. This is particularly relevant as Moldova prepares its new National Road Safety Strategy for the next decade. It is hoped that the proposed measures will be included in the future National Road Safety Action Plan, which will be promoted by ACM and the Traffic Police in the coming months.

Following this meeting, the National Patrol Inspectorate and ACM—with the support of the WHO Country Office in Moldova—also organized a two-day training program for police officers, focusing on preventing road accidents in local areas. The training explored the best ways to engage with drivers and identify the most effective messages to encourage safe driving. During the training, patrol officers planned a five-month road safety education and awareness campaign to be implemented nationwide. They intend to use relevant and locally adapted materials, including the EASST Road Safety Education Package, to address the most common issues in each region. This pilot project will be reviewed in May, when an additional action plan will be developed. The goal is to make road safety prevention an integral part of Community Policing to permanently reduce road accidents in Moldova.