Traffic cause death every 24 seconds

traffic accidentsIllustration.Traffic accidents.Photo: Norway Today Media

Traffic accidents take a life every 24 seconds

Traffic accidents cost human life every 24 seconds and are now the most common cause of death among young people in the world shows a new report.

 

1.35 million people died in traffic accidents in 2016, 100,000 more than three years earlier according to the recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Traffic accidents are now the most common cause of death among young people aged between 5 and 29 years.

“These fatalities are an unacceptably high price to pay for mobility,” said WHO’s leader, Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“There is no excuse. This is a problem where we have a proven solution,’’ he said.

Tighter laws

Even though the number of traffic fatalities has increased, there are no major increases if you compare the figure with the increasing number of cars and people on the roads.

Several countries have implemented measures to strengthen road safety, by introducing higher penalties and speed limit breaks, and this seems to dampen the increase in the number of accidents and deaths in traffic WHO believes.

Several countries have also sharpened the penalty level for driving without a seatbelt, helmet and child seat, which has also worked positively said the report.

Better cars and roads

Better infrastructure in the form of pavements, lanes for cyclists, and walking and cycling trails, also help to reduce the number of accidents and traffic deaths, and the same increases have been recorded for safety in cars.

In poor countries, however, the trend is in the wrong direction according to WHO.

“None of the low-income countries has managed to reduce the number of traffic deaths,” said the report, pointing out that the risk of losing lives in traffic is three times higher in these countries.

Accident risk and death rate are particularly high in Africa, where there are 26.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. In Europe, the equivalent is 9.3 and the lowest in the world.

Soft road users exposed

Soft road users (pedestrians or cyclists) are most exposed to traffic, and 26% of all who died in 2016 were pedestrians or cyclists. In Africa, the proportion was 44%.

28% of all who lose their lives in traffic are motorcyclists or motorbike and moped passengers, and in Asia, this group accounts for 43% according to WHO.

In Norway, 107 people died in traffic last year, and this was the lowest figure for over 70 years and the lowest in Europe, both in terms of the number of inhabitants and the number of kilometres driven say figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today