Road traffic injuries remain the leading killer of people aged 5-29 years and back in 2019 they were the 12th leading cause of death when all age groups were considered, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
According to the WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, there were an estimated 1.19 million road traffic deaths globally in 2021, 5 percent less than in 2010, when the figure was 1.25 million.
"The tragic tally of road crash deaths is heading in the right direction, downwards, but nowhere near fast enough," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"The carnage on our roads is preventable. We call on all countries to put people rather than cars at the center of their transport systems and ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users," he added.
Road traffic injuries disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries.
Ninety-two percent of road traffic deaths occur in those countries, the report said.
Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and riders of powered two and three-wheelers, make up half the road crash deaths.
Despite the disheartening data, the report also acknowledges some progress made by certain countries in implementing road safety measures, such as stricter enforcement of speed limits, promoting the use of helmets and seatbelts, and legislation on child restraint systems and drink-driving.
The WHO says these efforts to improve road safety are working but fall far short of what is needed to meet the target of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 to halve road deaths by 2030.
