New World Health Goal: Halting Rise in Traffic Deaths summarizes a new report being released today by the World Health Organization and World Bank:
The developing world has 20% of the world’s cars but 90% of its traffic deaths.
In Europe, there are still pedestrians to hit:
In Europe, where more than 8,000 pedestrians die annually — about 20% of total traffic fatalities — the European Union is forcing auto makers to design vehicles to minimize injuries to pedestrians.
This is a good number to know:
In the U.S., some 43,000 people die on the roads annually, a figure that has stagnated in recent years after decades of decline. Highway safety officials blame two issues for the majority of these deaths: drunk driving and the fact that more than one in five Americans still don’t wear seat belts. Rollover deaths are also on the rise.
I remember reading about some of Bogata, Columbia’s interesting programs to cut traffic accidents:
As mayor in 1996-1997 and again in 2001-2003, Mr. Mockus put more than 400 mimes on the street to shame jaywalkers and aggressive drivers into compliance. The city also hired more than 700 juvenile delinquents and first-time drug offenders to encourage pedestrians to use crosswalks. His cure for road rage: thumbs up and thumbs down cards that drivers give each other to provide safe and quiet feedback. In addition, the city painted large yellow stars in the spots where 1,500 pedestrians were killed in the past four years.His programs have helped cut the road-death toll by more than half, to 580 last year from 1,387 in 1995.
Is it in poor taste to comment on China’s high rate of traffic accidents?
China is coping with passenger-car sales that grew 75% last year, spawning more new drivers and creating a crush of novice auto companies seeking to tap demand. The result has been a staggering number of traffic accidents and deaths, prompting officials to push new laws and explore tougher vehicle-safety standards.Last year, 104,372 people in China died in traffic accidents, accounting for 77% of all accidental deaths, says the health ministry. Although the figure represented a 4.6% drop from 2002, the country’s roads remain among the world’s most dangerous. China has about one-fifth the number of passenger cars and buses as the U.S. yet more than twice the traffic deaths.
There are plenty of ways to get killed in Thailand:
Thailand is believed to have one of the world’s highest rates of road fatalities, some 40 deaths per 100,000 people. (U.S. rate: 15.7 deaths per 100,000 people.) The numbers are on the rise. Officially in 2002, 13,116 people died on the roads, up 13% from 2001. But most people don’t believe the statistics, since many accidents are never reported. Many believe the actual toll is more than twice the official figure.Some of the problems in Bangkok are obvious. A family of four squeezing on a motorbike is a familiar scene. Helmets — when worn — are thin plastic ones that offer little protection. Many car drivers don’t wear their seat belts, and some vehicles, particularly older models, don’t even have them. Impaired driving is also an issue.
Drive safely.