Researchers argue that too little is being done worldwide to improve road safety. And so they are calling for immediate political action.

More than 1.35 million people are killed in traffic accidents worldwide every year. And that’s according to researchers in a new study published in The Lancet unnecessary and way too much. “Most road deaths are preventable,” said researcher Adnan Hyder. “Unfortunately, the number of fatalities in low-income countries continues to rise, while progress in high-income countries has slowed over the past decade.” Hyder believes that not enough is being done at the national level to improve road safety. And that while with a few easy measures up to half a million human lives can be saved every year.

No priority

The vast majority of road deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, the study shows. Of the 1.35 million people who die in road accidents worldwide, more than 90 percent occur in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the number of road deaths is increasing, especially among young people. “The death toll from road accidents around the world is far too high,” Hyder said. And unnecessary. According to the researchers, national governments have not given priority to improving road safety, while all countries benefit to a greater or lesser extent from improved road safety measures. And so they are calling for immediate political action.

Road safety measures

The interventions are relatively simple. For example, measures to prevent speeding – such as installing more speed cameras – can save an estimated 350,000 lives every year. More than 16,000 more lives could be saved with better enforcement of drink-driving. On top of that, up to 50,000 lives could be saved if people wear helmets and seat belts. Taken together, these improved road safety measures could prevent more than half a million deaths a year.

To land

In their study, the researchers also point out the places where the most lives can be saved with the help of the interventions. Improving seat belt use, for example, would significantly reduce the number of road deaths, particularly in the United States and China. Here, respectively, 14,000 and 13,000 lives can be saved per year. The benefits of wearing a motorcycle helmet would be greatest in China, Brazil and India. In addition, tackling speeding violations in most of the countries surveyed would help, although this would prevent most road deaths in (once again) China, Spain and the United Kingdom.

trauma care

In addition, efforts should also be made to improve care. Improving, for example, emergency response after an accident, trauma care and interventions to control bleeding and resuscitate people could save another 200,000 lives a year, according to the researchers. “While prevention remains the cornerstone of reducing road deaths (…), improved knowledge about simple clinical interventions is a practical starting point to save lives faster,” said researcher Junaid Razzak.

Simple, affordable and proven

According to the researchers, hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved in a fairly simple way. “Unlike many other public health epidemics, there are simple, affordable and proven interventions to reduce the number of traffic accidents,” study researcher Amy Peden concluded. “These are just not currently being applied or enforced. Progress has stalled. And the growing number of road accidents calls for targeted action, including government investment.”

The UN aims to halve the number of road fatalities and injuries by 2030. With their study, the researchers therefore outline the challenges that must be tackled in order to achieve this ambitious goal. “Many road safety successes have been achieved globally, including the UN target,” said researcher Margie Peden. “However, it has yielded few results. There needs to be more action. Because a real, sustained decline in road injuries and fatalities will only happen if countries do more to implement effective interventions.”