By Michael Gwarisa
Even though the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Road Safety shows a 5 percent reduction in traffic deaths globally, data from the same report confirm that road accidents are increasing at an alarming rate.
The report shows that road traffic deaths have fallen slightly to 1.19 million per year. However, the price paid for mobility remains far too high as countries continue to lose more young productive people to road-related accidents.
According to the report, there were an estimated 1.19 million road traffic deaths in 2021; this corresponds to a rate of 15 road traffic deaths per 100,000 population. Based on 2019 data on the age distribution of all-cause mortality, road traffic injury remains the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5–29 years and is the 12th leading cause of death when all ages are considered.
A table from the report shows that in 2029, Road Injury was the leading cause of death among young people aged 5 to 29 followed by Tuberculosis (TB), Diarrhoeal diseases, Interpersonal violence, Self-harm, HIV/AIDS, Lower respiratory infections, Maternal conditions, Drowning, Cirrhosis of the liver, Malaria and lastly Meningitis.
As a leading cause of death and a major contributor to disability, road traffic injuries also impose an enormous economic cost on societies. Some estimates put the global macroeconomic cost of road traffic injuries as high as US$ $1.8 trillion2, roughly equivalent to 10–12 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP). Road traffic injuries are an important health and development challenge,” read part of the report.
In addition to being the leading killer for children and young adults, road traffic deaths impact people during their most productive years.
“Approximately 66 percent of fatalities are among people aged 18–59 years and 19% are aged 60 years or above. Road traffic deaths continue to disproportionately impact men, with an overall female-to-male fatality ratio of 1 to 3.”
Globally, occupants of 4-wheel vehicles represent 30 percent of fatalities; followed by pedestrians who represent 23 percent of fatalities; and powered two- and three-wheeler users make up 21percenyt of fatalities. Cyclists account for 6 percent of fatalities. Occupants of vehicles carrying more than 10 people, heavy goods vehicles, “other” users and “unknown” user types comprise the remaining 20 percent of deaths.
Given the rise in powered personal micro-mobility modes such as e-scooters, questions on these modes of transport were newly included in the survey for this report, and reveal that globally, 3 percent of deaths are among users of these modes (which are included in the “other” road user category).
