Road traffic injuries
Road traffic crashes result in the deaths of approximately 1.19 million people around the world each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29. Yet two thirds of road traffic fatalities occur among people of working age (18–59 years). Nine in 10 fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world's vehicles.
In addition to the human suffering caused by road traffic injuries, they also incur a heavy economic burden on victims and their families, both through treatment costs for the injured and through loss of productivity of those killed or disabled. More broadly, road traffic injuries have a serious impact on national economies, costing countries 3% of their annual gross domestic product.
Measures proven to reduce the risk of road traffic injuries and deaths exist and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030.
Many factors increase both the risk of road traffic crashes and the risk of death or injury they result in.
Driving at higher speed significantly increases both the likelihood of a crash occurring and the severity of its consequences. For every 1% increase in mean speed there is a 4% increase in fatal crash risk. The risk of death for pedestrians hit by motorized vehicles also rises rapidly as speed increases. A pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at 65 kilometres per hour is 4.5 times more likely to die than those hit by a vehicle travelling at 50 kilometres per hour.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive substances presents significant risk factor for road traffic injuries. In the case of drink-driving, risk of road traffic injury increases significantly as the driver’s blood alcohol concentration goes up. In the case of drug-driving, the risk of road traffic injury increases to differing degrees depending on the psychoactive drug used.
There are a number of other significant risk factors:
- the non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts and child restraints
- distraction, including the use of mobile phones, leading to impaired driving
- unsafe vehicles and unsafe road infrastructure
- inadequate post-crash care
- inadequate enforcement of traffic laws.
WHO works with Member States and partners to support road safety evaluation, implementation and planning. As the lead agency for road safety in the United Nations, WHO plays a key role in guiding global efforts by advocating for road safety at the highest political levels, compiling and sharing good practices and raising awareness of road safety.
WHO serves as the secretariat for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2030. This includes convening a global network of Heads of National Road Safety Agencies, producing Global Status Reports to track progress, and providing technical assistance.
WHO works with a range of partners to provide technical support to countries and works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to share knowledge, experience and best practices. WHO chairs the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, and organizes and hosts, with key partners, high profile advocacy events such as UN road safety weeks and the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
