If an Airbus A380 with 500 people onboard crashed, killing everyone, it would make international news. The subsequent investigation would be extensive and could last months or years. Yet, many people are killed on the roads each week in the European Union alone and it passes almost without notice. Even more die in developing nations.
Globally, the number of victims of road crashes continues to rise, particularly in low and middle-income countries, which account for 90 per cent of deaths. Africa, statistically, has the worst figures.
Traffic collisions are estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death globally, being identified as ‘silent killers’ by the EU. Road deaths do not respect age, occurring across all age groups. Despite the United Nation’s decade of road safety action, deaths on the roads are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030 — jeopardising the whole sustainable development agenda.
