World Bank President Robert Zoellick has joined with road safety philanthropist and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and global road safety ambassador Michelle Yeoh to urge greater donor support for road safety.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick, global road safety ambassador Michelle Yeoh and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Launching a new initiative by the multilateral development banks for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC, Robert Zoellick said: "In developed countries, road fatalities are going down but in developing countries they are surging because of increased road building, motor vehicles and dangerous traffic mixes that pit vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, against a growing tide of cars and trucks. Unless well-targeted measures are taken, there will be an escalating death toll on the roads in poor countries, which would be a terrible tragedy."

Michelle Yeoh said: "The urgency now is for action. We're calling for governments and philanthropists to follow the visionary example of Mayor Bloomberg and invest in road injury prevention, by supporting the work of both the World Bank's Global Road Safety Facility and the new Road Safety Fund."

Michael Bloomberg said: "The momentum is building. The United Nations has signalled its commitment to this issue and next month is set to kick off its 'Decade of Action for Road Safety'. That's going to really help us draw the attention and resources we think we need to meet this challenge. In fact, the goals and principles of the UN's initiative align almost perfectly with our [Bloomberg Philanthropies] initiative and the Development Banks' initiative. Combined, I think we can make a huge impact."