Global road safety.

Abstract

Many people know that malaria is a major global problem; one that takes 1.2 million lives per year. What most people do not realize, however, is that road traffic injuries (RTIs) cause just as many deaths each year. In fact, the RTI epidemic may be even more severe than malaria because for each fatality, there are at least 20 serious injuries, many producing life-long disabilities. But road traffic injuries have not yet captured the world’s attention, although almost everyone has been touched by road crashes. What explains this situation? Because RTIs are the collective responsibility of several sectors including transportation, law enforcement, public health and medical care, the problem rarely receives focused attention. In addition, road crashes occur one at a time, receiving little media attention, and there is a widespread tendency to blame the victims for not having been ‘careful.’ Often, these crashes are not reported, making data incomplete and inaccurate. Finally, there is a sense that RTIs are ‘accidents that just happen’ – a necessary consequence of progress and economic development – and nothing can be done to prevent them. This fatalism combined with the lack of focus, lack of data, and lack of attention effectively keep RTIs a hidden problem. One of the reasons that malaria is better known and supported today is because the World Health Organization (WHO) campaigned to make it a priority. Based on the Burden of Disease and further economic analysis from the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, WHO made a strategic decision to focus on AIDS, TB, and malaria. This focus led to what became a ‘massive effort’ to fight these specific diseases and helped to develop support for the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria. A similar ‘massive effort’ is needed to raise awareness for road safety because road traffic injuries are continuing to escalate and they still receive inadequate attention. Like AIDS, TB, and malaria, RTIs disproportionately affect developing nations, which account for approximately 90% of the global fatalities. Rates are decreasing in the developed and highly motorized nations, but they are rapidly increasing in the low and middle-income countries. In low and middle income countries, the roadways are not designed to handle motorized vehicles safely, making motor-vehicles up to 200 times more lethal than those in developed countries.