Motorcyclists are responsible for over 1/4 of all road fatalities.
Road safety has been a frequent topic on our pages. It’s, let’s be honest, one of the most deadly killers on the planet. A new report estimates that approximately 1.35 million people are killed on the roads each year. This is a scary number. This is about the same population as Copenhagen’s 1.35 million.
This is the World Health Organization’s latest global status report regarding road safety. It shows that road accidents are the leading cause for death among children and young people between the ages of 5 and 29. The 424-page report, which is 424, has only one positive trend. The only positive trend shaped by the 424-page report (yes, em>424 pages/em>!) is that death rates relative to the global population have stabilised in recent years.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, said that “these deaths are an unacceptable cost to pay for mobility.” “There’s no excuse for inaction. There are proven solutions to this problem. We can’t agree with you more.
The risk of road deaths is three times greater in low-income countries than it is in richer countries. Africa has the highest death rate at 26.6 per 100,000 people, while Europe has 9.3 per 100,000. Comparing to 2015’s WHO report, the rates of road deaths have declined in Americas, Europe and Western Pacific.
According to the study, pedestrians and cyclists account approximately 26 percent of traffic fatalities. This figure is particularly high in Africa (44%), and the Eastern Mediterranean (36%). However, approximately 28 percent of road fatalities are caused by motorcycle riders and their passengers.
“Road safety, which is an important issue, doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It really is one our great opportunities for saving lives around the globe,” Michael Bloomberg, founder and CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and WHO Global Ambassador adds.