Improving road safety measures could save half a million lives every year

Improving road safety by adopting proven interventions in 185 countries could save up to half a million lives a year and improve the health and development of individuals and nations, according to a new Series in The Lancet.

Road deaths affect the youngest and poorest hardest—almost half of the adolescents killed in road collisions in 2019 lived in low middle-income countries (LMICs), up from around a quarter in 1990. Yet, despite global progress, not enough has been done at the country level to address road safety as a public health crisis. The authors call for immediate political and financial commitments to address one of the world's most significant development challenges.

New global and country-level estimates suggest that routinely wearing helmets and seatbelts, obeying speed limits and avoiding drunk driving could save between 347,000 and 540,000 lives worldwide. In addition, improving post-crash emergency response, trauma care, and clinical interventions to control haemorrhage and early resuscitation could save up to 200,000 lives a year in low- and middle-income countries.

The Series authors outline ten challenges that must be addressed to prevent 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. Building a stronger global road safety movement that incorporates other health and environmental impacts (e.g., air pollution, sedentary lifestyles), generating more and better data on what works in different LMICs, and adequate domestic and donor funding.