History

The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that promotes road travel safety through education and advocacy. ASIRT was founded in 1995 in response to the death of Aron Sobel who was killed in a bus crash in Turkey along with 22 other passengers from many countries. Aron's graduation from the University of Maryland Medical School would have taken place two weeks from the day he was killed. The bus driver was speeding down the wrong lane of a narrow, ill-maintained road with a sharp curve and no guard rail. The road had long been on a government list of "black spots" in need of repair. The speeding bus hit oncoming traffic and plunged down a deep embankment, landing on its side. Emergency medical crews were slow to respond. This preventable crash exemplifies the risks to which international travelers are exposed. Following the death of Aron, Ambassador Marc Grossman, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara at the time, recommended the creation of a road safety organization to protect both American citizens abroad and residents of countries around the world. ASIRT seeks to dramatically reduce the risk of travelers to and citizens of countries throughout the world.

ASIRT is the only U.S.-based international road safety organization dedicated to improving global road safety through education and advocacy. ASIRT produces annually updated, detailed road travel reports for over 150 countries, which enable travelers to make informed travel choices. ASIRT serves as a resource to governments, corporations, travel organizations, guidebooks, study abroad programs, health/travel clinics and non-governmental organizations. ASIRT also helps foster the development of new road safety organizations in other countries.