The Issues

Road Traffic Injuries: A New Priority For Development

The health burden

Road traffic crashes kill 3000 people, and 500 children, every day. Annually, 1.2 million people are killed and 50 million injured. More than 85% of these casualties occur in low and middle income countries.

As a public health issue, road injuries are on the same scale as Tuberculosis and Malaria. Yet globally, road traffic injury prevention commands a tiny fraction of the resources that are justifiably deployed to fight TB and Malaria.

RANK DEATHS	CAUSE	PROPORTION OF TOTAL
1	Ischaemic heart disease	12.6
2	Cerebrovascular disease	9.7
3	Lower respiratory infections	6.9
4	HIV/AIDS	4.8
5	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	4.8
6	Perinatal conditions	4.3
7	Diarrhoeal diseases	3.3
8	Tuberculosis	2.7
9	Trachea, bronchus, lunch cancers	2.2
10	Road traffic injuries	2.1
11	Diabetes mellitus	1.7
12	Malaria	1.6

The economic cost

The economic cost of deaths and injuries in developing countries is estimated at $65-100 billion a year. By comparison overseas aid from OECD countries totalled $106 billion in 2005.

Most of those killed or injured in developing countries are pedestrians. They are also breadwinners for their families. Research in India and Bangladesh shows that 50% of families losing a member in a road crash subsequently fell below the poverty line.

To make poverty history it is vital that we MAKE ROADS SAFE.

The impact on trade

While there is considerable political emphasis on tariff costs as a barrier to fair trade, transport costs often constitute a bigger burden for developing countries of the cost of exporting. Freight and insurance costs represent 15 per cent of the total value of African exports, making it still more difficult for African companies to be competitive. The Commission for Africa report states that transport costs in Uganda can add the equivalent of an 80% tax on clothing exports.

Across sub-Saharan Africa fewer than 20% of roads are paved. Yet as new roads are built to encourage development, road safety is being forgotten. This means local communities, and road users, are dangerously exposed. The cost of road traffic injuries represents 1-5% of African nations’ Gross National Product (GNP). To ensure fairer and more efficient trade we must MAKE ROADS SAFE.

MAKE ROADS SAFE: Our Manifesto

Political Commitment

The G8 must address global road safety as an integral part of its sustainable development strategy. The United Nations must recognise the role global road safety can play in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The UN must host a Ministerial summit to coordinate a global response to the road traffic injury emergency.

Global Action

A ten year Action Plan, funded with at least $300 million, is needed to help developing countries tackle their road safety problems. G8 countries, other donor governments and grantmaking Foundations must together fund this essential life-saving work.

Safer Roads

The World Bank and other development banks are spending $4 billion a year on roads in developing countries, but little attention is paid to road safety. In the coming years thousands of kilometres of unsafe roads could be built in the name of development in Africa, Asia and South America. At least 10% of these road budgets must be devoted to road safety, if millions of people are not to be killed or maimed in the years ahead.