1.19 million of road accidents occur in low-middle-income countries - WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 has concluded that there were approximately 1.19 million road traffic deaths worldwide in 2021 with a majority of these deaths occurring in low – middle-income earning countries.
Road traffic injuries remain a leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 5 – 29 years, WHO has reported. In 2019 alone, road traffic accident was the 12th leading cause of death amongst all age groups.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "The tragic tally of road crash deaths is heading in the right direction, downwards, but nowhere near fast enough…The carnage on our roads is preventable. We call on all countries to put people rather than cars at the centreESTIMATIONVERSES of their transport systems and ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users."
The report shows that 28% of global road traffic deaths occurred in the WHO South-East Asia Region, 25% in the Western Pacific Region, 19% in the African Region, 12% in the Region of the Americas, 11% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and 5% in the European Region. Nine out of 10 road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where fatalities are disproportionately higher relative to the number of vehicles and roads. The risk of death is three times higher in low-income countries compared to high-income countries, despite low-income countries having only 1% of the world's motor vehicles.
The victims
Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians (23%), riders of powered two and three-wheelers like motorcycles (21%), cyclists (6%), and users of micro-mobility devices such as e-scooters (3%), comprise 53% of all road traffic fatalities. Deaths among car and other 4-wheeled light vehicle occupants slightly decreased to 30% of global fatalities.
The report highlights that the WHO Southeast Asia Region accounted for 28% of global road traffic deaths, followed by the Western Pacific Region at 25%, the African Region at 19%, the Region of the Americas at 12%, the Eastern Mediterranean Region at 11%, and the European Region at 5%.
“Our mission at Bloomberg Philanthropies is to save and improve as many lives as possible, and one of the best ways to do that is to make more of the world’s roads safe for all. For more than a decade now, we’ve made encouraging progress together with the World Health Organization and our partners. Still, as this new report makes clear, road safety demands stronger commitments from governments worldwide – and we’ll continue to urge more leaders to take lifesaving action,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.
Why the prevalence?
In terms of a legal framework, only six countries have laws that align with WHO best practices for all risk factors, including speeding, drunk driving, and the use of motorcycle helmets, seatbelts, and child restraints.
Further, the research suggests that a staggering 80% of the world's roads do not meet pedestrian safety standards, and a mere 0.2% have designated cycle lanes, leaving these road users vulnerable to danger. Surprisingly, although 9 out of 10 people identify as pedestrians, only a quarter of countries have policies in place to promote walking, cycling, and public transport. It is interesting to note that only 35 countries have legislation on all safety features in vehicles.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that ongoing efforts to enhance road safety have yielded some positive results. However, these advances still fall significantly short of meeting the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 target to reduce road deaths by half by 2030.
