In 1999, between 750 000 and 880 000persons died in road crashes worldwide, and another 23 to 34million people were injured. The situation is particularlycritical in low and middle income countries (LMCs) whereabout 86 percent of deaths from road traffic injuries occureven though these countries account for only 40 percent ofall motor vehicles. The graph shows that the situation hasbeen worsening in LMCs since 1987. There are strong social,health and economic reasons to reduce the burden of roadtraffic injuries (RTIs): a) casualties affect mostlyeconomically active persons and have a ripple effect ontheir dependents, causing suffering and poverty; and b)crash victims represent between 30 and 86 percent of alltrauma admissions. They tend to stay in hospital longer thanaverage patients. Developed countries have been relativelysuccessful in reducing the burden of RTIs. This shows thatmore, better targeted and sustainable investment can preventRTIs and reduce the damage that results from crashes. Poorercountries clearly need a new and broader approach to road safety.
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