GENEVA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- As of 2019, road traffic accidents remain the number one cause of death among people aged 5 to 29 in the world and the 12th leading cause of death for people of all ages, according to the 2023 Global Road Safety Status Report released by the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 13th.
According to this latest WHO report, about 1.19 million people died in road traffic accidents worldwide in 2021, equivalent to 15 deaths per 100,000 people.
From 2010 to 2021, despite a more than doubling of global motor vehicle ownership, a significant expansion of the road network, and an increase of nearly 1 billion people in the global population, the overall number of deaths from road traffic accidents fell by 5 percent, the report notes, suggesting that efforts to improve road safety are working.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the launch of the report that the number of road traffic fatalities is declining, but not fast enough. "Tragedies caused by traffic accidents can be prevented," he said. We call on all countries to put people, not cars, at the centre of their transport systems and to ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. People don't have to pay with their lives to get around. ”
WHO is calling on countries to strengthen legislation on the prevention of speeding, drunk driving, and the proper use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraint systems. (ENDS).