At least 2.4 million people are injured and disabled in road traffic crashes annually, and 65 per cent out of two million car crashes per year occur in towns, where pedestrians and cyclists are particularly exposed.
The statistics were revealed on Wednesday, World Health Day and a report on road traffic injury prevention was released by the WHO and the World Bank.
Road traffic injuries have become a leading public health issue. But for the WHO death and injury on the roads are not random events, it is understanding what risk factors lead to crashes and how to prevent them that is most important.
“It is time to stop considering traffic deaths and injuries as an unavoidable consequence of road use: they are preventable. Every year some 6,500 children die on the roads, and this is unacceptable,” said Dr Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “Increasing road traffic safety is everyone’s concern. Transport planners, car manufacturers, and health authorities and professionals have an important role to play in protecting the human right to health.”
The report states that speed is the leading killer on the roads. EU estimates indicate that reducing the average driving speed by three kph would save around 5,000–6,000 lives each year and would prevent up to 140,000 crashes.
In contrast, raising the speed from 30 kph to 50 kph increases a pedestrian’s risk of being killed in a car crash eightfold. For car occupants, the risk of death in a crash is 20 times higher at an impact speed of 80 kph than at 32 kph.
In the WHO European Region, children and young people pay the highest price.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for people aged five-29 years. This group accounts for more than 30 per cent of crash victims. In this age group, young men represent 80 per cent of the total number of victims. High speed and drink-driving are the main risk factors for them. The key question tackled by the European study is how public health can serve the common objective of creating a healthy transport system and saving lives.
The challenge now is to galvanise the countries in the WHO European Region to adopt this new thinking. “The dedication of World Health Day 2004 to road safety is an opportunity to become aware of the death toll weighing on our communities, and of the successful application of new thinking in some Member States. This shows that strong political commitment and comprehensive measures pay off in health gains,” said Dr Roberto Bertollini, Director, Division of Technical Support, Health Determinants, WHO Regional Office for Europe.