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ROAD TRAFFIC INJURIES

Road Traffic Injuries

Approximately 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes

Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries

Many incur disabilities as a result of their injury

Road Traffic Injuries

Cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families, and to nations as a whole

Losses arise from the cost of treatment

Lost productivity for those killed or disabled by their injuries, and for family members who need to take time off work or school to care for the injured

Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.

Road Traffic Injuries

Globally, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years

Are the 8th leading cause of death overall

Surpasses HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases

EVERY 24 SECONDS SOMEONE DIES ON THE ROAD

Road Traffic Injuries

Low-income countries use 1% of the world’s vehicles Account for 13% of all deaths

High-income countries use 40% of the world’s vehicles Account for only 7% of all deaths

Road Traffic Injuries

Some reductions were observed in 48 middle- and high-income countries

Overall, the number of deaths increased in 104 countries during this period.

Between 2013 and 2016, no reductions in the number of road traffic deaths were observed in any low-income country

100,000 population, 2000-2016

income category, 2016

population by WHO regions, 2013, 2016

At Risk Groups

More than half of global traffic deaths are amongst pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists

Often still neglected in road traffic system design in many countries

Road traffic injury death rates highest in the African region

People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes

Even in high-income countries

At Risk Groups

◦ Males more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes

than females

◦ About three quarters (73%) of all road traffic deaths

occur among young males under the age of 25 years

◦ Almost 3 times as likely to be killed in a road traffic crash versus

young females

Risk Factors - Speeding

◦ Increases in average speed directly related both to the

likelihood of a crash occurring and to severity of the

consequences of the crash

◦ Every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4%

increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in

the serious crash risk

◦ Death risk for pedestrians hit by front of car rises

rapidly (4.5 times from 31 mph to 40 mph)

◦ In car-to-car side impacts, the fatality risk for car

occupants is 85% at 40 mph

Risk Factors – Alcohol and Drugs

◦ Driving under the influence of alcohol and any psychoactive drug increases the risk of a crash resulting in

death or serious injuries

◦ Risk of a road traffic crash starts at low levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and increases

significantly when the driver's BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl.

◦ In regards to drugs, the risk of a road traffic crash is increased to differing degrees depending on the

psychoactive drug used

◦ Risk of a fatal crash occurring among those under the influence of amphetamines is about 5 times the risk of someone

who hasn't

Risk Factors – Nonuse of Safety Devices

◦ Correct helmet use can lead to a 42% reduction in the

risk of fatal injuries and 69% reduction in the risk of

head injuries

◦ Wearing seat-belts reduce the risk of death among drivers

and front seat occupants by 45 - 50%, and the risk of

death and serious injuries among rear seat occupants by

25%

◦ Use of child restraints can lead to a 60% reduction in

deaths

Risk Factors – Distracted Driving

◦ Many types of distractions

◦ Distraction caused by mobile phones is a growing concern for road safety.

◦ Drivers using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone

◦ Using a phone while driving slows reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), and makes it difficult to keep in the correct lane, and to keep the correct following distances

◦ Hands-free phones are not much safer than hand-held phone sets, and texting considerably increases the risk of a crash

◦ What do you think is the distance one travels while driving if one takes their eyes off the road and looks at a mobile phone for 4 seconds travelling at 50 mph?

◦ 100 Yards (Length of a football field)

Other Distracted Driving Activities

◦ Anything that takes your attention away from driving

can be a distraction

◦ Using a GPS

◦ Eating while driving

◦ Distractions from other passengers

◦ Handling the radio

◦ Having earbuds in

◦ Pets or children in the car

◦ Dropping an item

Risk Factors – Unsafe Road Infrastructure

◦ Ideally, roads should be designed keeping in mind the

safety of all road users

◦ Making sure that there are adequate facilities for all road

users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclist)

◦ Footpaths, cycling lanes, safe crossing points, and other

traffic calming measures critical to reducing the risk of

injury among these road users

Risk Factors – Bus and Truck Occupants

◦ Buses with passengers, minibuses and trucks

frequently involved in crashes in low income

countries

◦ Presents a risk for ejecting passengers

◦ Are without crash protective features

◦ Poor stability when overloaded

Risk Factors – Inadequate

Law Enforcement

If traffic laws not enforced or perceived as not being enforced, likely not be complied with

Very little chance of influencing behavior.

Effective enforcement includes establishing, regularly updating, and enforcing laws at the national, municipal, and local levels

Should address the previously mentioned risk factors

• Including appropriate penalties

What can be done?

◦ Governments need to take action to address road safety in a holistic manner

◦ Requires involvement from multiple sectors that address the safety of roads, vehicles, and road users

◦ Designing safer infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport planning,

improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes, setting and

enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising public awareness

WHO Response

◦ Works in a multisectoral manner to provide technical support to countries

◦ Objective: Support Member States in road safety policy planning, implementation, and evaluation

◦ Collaborating with Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2015-2019 to reduce fatalities and

injuries from road traffic crashes in targeted low- and middle-income countries and cities

◦ In 2017, released Save LIVES

◦ A road safety technical package which synthesizes evidence-based measures

◦ Focuses on Speed management, Leadership, Infrastructure design and improvement, Vehicle safety standards, Enforcement of

traffic laws and post-crash Survival

WHO Response

◦ Lead Agency for road safety in UN System

◦ Serves as the secretariat for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011– 2020

◦ Monitoring progress through global status reports

◦ WHO's Global status report on road safety 2018 presents information on road safety from 175 countries.

◦ Provides an overview of the road safety situation globally

◦ Are the official tool for monitoring the Decade of Action

THANK YOU