Alumni Spotlight: Alejandra Leal, Mexico

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.

While the reservations show there are still pending issues to address, let’s keep in mind that this Mobility and Road Safety Bill was created by and for the victims of traffic crashes and their families. The articles already approved in full by both houses will help to reduce the risks road and highway users across the country face. We trust that the Senate will soon deliver the Law for its publication and enactment.

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.