Accidents: nearly 1.25 million people killed each year in the world

Last updated Nov 9, 2015

Nearly 1.25 million people die each year in accidents across the planet, despite progress in prevention, according to a report by the World Health Organisation. The road accidents cause more deaths in Africa than in the rest of the world, with a mortality rate of 26.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, against 9.3 in Europe.

However, the number of deaths on the roads then stabilizes and the number of motor vehicles has increased rapidly around the world, the report on “Road Safety 2015” published Monday.

The last three years, 79 countries have seen a decline in the absolute number of victims of accidents of traffic and 68 countries registered an increase.

According to WHO, while some countries have been particularly successful in lowering the number of deaths on the roads, it is because they have improved their legislation and its application and made roads and safer vehicles.

“We’re going in the right direction”, welcomed the director of the UN agency, Margaret Chan in a statement, noting that “road safety strategies save lives. But we are moving too slowly. “

The report notes that road users in the world do not enjoy all of the same degree of protection. The risk of dying from a traffic accident still depends largely on where people live and how they move.

A deep gap between high-income countries of low and middle income countries where 90% of deaths due to accidents occurring while they represent only 54% of vehicles in circulation in the world, belong to WHO experts .

Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable and account for up to 23% of total deaths due to road accidents, a problem that is increasing in many regions.

The document also reveals that some vehicles sold in 80% of the world’s countries do not comply with safety standards. This is the case particularly in low- and middle-income countries where nearly 50% of the 67 million new passenger cars were produced in 2014.