10 road safety facts

ACCORDING TO the World Health Organization, road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include: pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders and passengers of on-road public transport. Roads are essential to our everyday lives. We all use them in some way and we depend on them to obtain goods and services.

Unfortunately, this comes at a price, which includes people being killed and injured. However, road deaths and injuries are not inevitable. The last few decades have demonstrated that effective and comprehensive road safety strategies can reduce the number of people killed or injured on the road, despite increasing traffic levels.

Here are 10 road safety facts certified by the World Health Organization.

1. More than 1.2 million people die in road traffic crashes every year.

2. As many as 50 million people are injured or disabled by road traffic crashes every year.

3. Half of all crash victims are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

4. Road traffic crashes cost countries up to four per cent of their gross national product.

5. Correctly used, seat belts reduce the risk of death in a crash by 61 per cent.

6. Mandatory use of child restraints can reduce child deaths by 35 per cent.

7. Helmets reduce fatal and serious head injuries by up to 45 per cent.

8. For every 1km/h reduction in average speed, there is a two per cent reduction in the number of crashes.

9. Simple low-cost engineering measures are saving thousands of lives.

10. Enforcing a drinking and driving law around the world could reduce alcohol-related crashes by 20 per cent.