Road traffic injuries: the facts

1.24 million
road traffic deaths occur every year.

3 out of 4
road deaths are among men

#1

cause of death among those aged 15-29 years

Middle-income countries have the highest road traffic death rates.

Although middle-income countries have only half of the world's vehicles, they have 80% of the world's road traffic deaths.

20.1

18.3

High-income countries Middle-income countries Low-income countries

8.7

52%
VEHICLES

80%
DEATHS
Road traffic fatalities per 100 000 population

The chance of dying in a road traffic crash depends on where you live

22%

5%

23%

10.3
Europe

21.3

16.1
Americas

Eastern Mediterranean

18.5 18.5
Western Pacific

24.1
Africa

South East Asia

Road traffic fatalities per 100 000 population

of all road traffic deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles.

Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status

Speed: the facts

30%
5%

A 5% cut in average speed can result in...

Reducing speed in urban areas is essential to protecting pedestrians and bicyclists:

reduction in the number of fatal crashes.

100

59
countries

114

Urban speed limits of 50km/h can reduce injuries and deaths: countries apply urban speed limits of less than or equal to 50km/h.

countries have legislation that permits local authorities to reduce national speed limits. e.g. to 30 km/h around schools.

have implemented an urban speed limit of 50km/h or less... ...and allow local authorities to reduce these limits.

Only 1 in 7 countries rate enforcement of speed laws as good

Countries with a national urban speed limit of 50km/h that can be modified locally

Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status

Drinkdriving: the facts

Drinking alcohol and driving increases the risk of a road traffic crash Above a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 g/dl, the risk of road traffic crash increases dramatically. Road crash risk Drink-driving laws should be based on a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of no more than

0.05

0.1

Blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) g/dl Enforcement of drink-driving laws has been shown to be more effective when it includes random breath tests for all drivers.

0.05g/dl
Strictly enforcing a drink-driving law can reduce the number of road deaths by 20%.

135

of the worlds countries use random breath testing to enforce their drink-driving laws.

89

countries now have a drink-driving law based on a BAC of 0.05 g/dl.

Only 21% of countries report enforcement of their drink-driving laws as good.

Countries with a national drink-driving law based on BAC of 0.05 g/dl

Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status

Motorcycle helmets: the facts

40%
Most motorcycle deaths are a result of head injuries.

Wearing a motorcycle helmet correctly can result in: Reduction to risk of death

70%

Reduction to risk of severe injury

155 countries

have comprehensive motorcycle helmet laws which cover drivers and passengers, on all roads and with all engine types.

98 countries

apply a national or international motorcycle helmet standard.

90

countries have a comprehensive helmet law covering:

All users All roads All engine types & apply a helmet standard
Countries with a national comprehensive helmet law and a helmet standard

Only about one-third of countries rate enforcement of helmet laws as good.

Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status

Seat-belts: the facts

Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury by:

50%
for front seat occupants
Seat-belt laws should cover both front and rear seat occupants

Up to

75%
for rear seat occupants
To effectively increase seat-belt wearing rates, legislation must be supported with strong and sustained police enforcement: Only a quarter of all countries report good enforcement of their seat-belt laws.

Up to

111

countries have comprehensive seat-belt laws covering all car occupants.

This covers

4.8 billion
people... or

69%

of the worlds population

Countries with a national seat-belt law covering all car occupants

Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status

Child restraints: the facts

Child restraints reduce the likelihood of a fatal crash by:

70 % among infants

Approx.

54 %-80% among young children

Enforcement of child restraint laws remains low in most countries.

Between

96
This covers people... or just

countries have implemented a child restraint law.

2.2 billion

Only 17 countries (9%) report good enforcement of child restraint laws.

32%

of the worlds population

Countries with a national child restraint law Global status report on road safety 2013 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status