Ten Sobering World Wide Facts and Trivia About Road Safety

The global epidemic of road crash fatalities and disabilities is gradually being recognized as a major public health concern. The first step to being informed about global road safety and to developing effective road safety interventions is to have access to facts.

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 4% of their Gross National Product
5. Correctly used seat-belts reduce the risk of death in a crash by 61%
6. Mandatory use of child restraints can reduce child deaths by 35%
7. Helmets reduce fatal and serious head injuries by up to 45%
8. Enforcing a drinking and driving law around the world could reduce alcohol-related crashes by 20%
9. For every 1km/h reduction in average speed, there is a 2% reduction in the number of crashes
10. Simple low-cost engineering measures are saving thousands of lives