Alumni Spotlight
Alejandra Leal’s Mobility and Road Safety Bill passed by Mexican Congress
In March 2022, with 457 votes in favor, 1 abstention, and 0 votes against, Deputies of the Mexican Congress approved the new Mobility and Road Safety Bill.
Alejandra Leal, was one of the lead authors of the new law. Her organization, the Safe Mobility Coalition, which is made up of over 70 civil society organisation and specialists, has advocated for this legislation since 2014, with the goal preventing fatalities on Mexican roads.
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety describes how this was achieved and what the new law represents:
“The Safe Mobility Coalition promoted a collaborative proposal, holding a series of working groups with experts from governments, civil society, as well as academia and the private sectors. The proposal contemplates improvements in public transportation, mandatory use of helmets, blood alcohol concentration regulations. It also proposes the creation of a National Mobility and Road Safety System. To highlight the policy switch, the law establishes a transportation hierarchy for the planning, design, and implementation of public policies, where pedestrians are prioritized, then cyclists, followed by users and providers of public transport. Finally, drivers of motorized vehicles and commercial vehicles.”
This Bill’s approval is a major milestone on a long effort that has brought together the families of road crash victims, civil society organizations, scholars, legislators, public officials, and the private sector. A core element of Delft Road Safety Courses centres on informing policy decisions and developing a strategic national action plan for road safety around a multi-sectoral Safe System approach.