PAHO and partners Drive regional effort to improve motorcycle safety legislation

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in collaboration with authorities from five countries in the Region (Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Mexico, and Paraguay), as well as various strategic partners, held the workshop titled "Strengthening Legislative and Regulatory Frameworks to Promote Motorcycle Safety" on March 17 and 18, 2026, in Cancún, Mexico. This event took place within the framework of a project funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the technical capacities of participating countries to review and improve legislative and regulatory frameworks related to motorcycle safety, and to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices among countries in the Region.

Traffic crashes continue to be one of the leading causes of death and injury in the Region of the Americas, particularly among vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. In particular, the proportion of deaths and serious injuries among motorcyclists has increased relative to other types of road users in recent years. Consequently, motorcyclists went from accounting for 12% of deaths in 2009 to 27% in 2023.

The increase in motorcycle usage-combined with risk factors such as insufficient helmet use or the use of non-certified helmets, an excessive number of occupants on a single motorcycle, and the operation of these vehicles by minors, among others-has contributed to a rise in the proportion of deaths and serious injuries among motorcyclists.

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, along with other international reports, recommends strengthening legislative frameworks and enforcement, as well as promoting public policies to foster more sustainable, safe, and healthy mobility to protect the most vulnerable road users. During the workshop, key topics aimed at promoting motorcycle safety were addressed; an analysis of existing legislative frameworks was conducted; and advocacy strategies were promoted to strengthen legislation, enforcement, and control mechanisms, as well as capacity-building within police forces. Innovative approaches were also presented to advance public policies and secure sustainable funding for road safety interventions.

By the conclusion of the event, significant progress had been made in defining local working groups, formulating proposals for improvement, and developing strategies and roadmaps for their implementation. The meeting also facilitated the joint identification of priority actions to strengthen legislation, improve its implementation, and foster regional cooperation to promote safe, sustainable, and healthy mobility.

Approximately 45 people participated, including government representatives and project focal points from the five participating countries, as well as technical experts and representatives from partner organizations. These included the Ibero-American Road Safety Observatory (OISEVI), the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), the WHO Global Technical Advisory Group on Motorcycle Safety, the Ibero-American Federation of Associations of Victims of Road Violence (FICVI), the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), Vital Strategies, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Representatives from civil society organizations in the participating countries also took part, including the Coalition for Safe Mobility in Mexico, Céntrico, DEJUSTICIA, Hablemos de Movilidad, and the Association of Relatives, Friends, and Victims of Road Unsafety (AFAVIV), among others.

This workshop is part of the activities of a project funded by the UNRSF and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Technical staff from the PAHO Office in Mexico and the WHO headquarters in Geneva assisted in organizing the event. The activity was coordinated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and jointly led by the Road Safety and Unintentional Injury Prevention Program of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (NMH) and the Health-Related Legislation Program of the Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity (DHE).

The objective of this activity is to support countries in strengthening their regulatory frameworks and public policies to improve motorcyclists' safety. Through technical sessions and forums for exchanges among countries and strategic partners, progress was made in defining local working groups, developing proposals for improvement, and developing strategies and roadmaps for their implementation. The meeting facilitated the joint identification of priority actions to strengthen legislation, improve its implementation, and foster regional cooperation in promoting safe, sustainable, and healthy mobility.