Pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders account for 66 per cent of road accident deaths in Southeast Asia: WHO, ET HealthWorld

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New Delhi: 66 percent Road traffic deaths In Southeast Asia are of Pedestriansmotor driven two wheeler rider And Cyclists As per the latest statistics, most number of road accidents in India occur between two-wheeler and three-wheeler riders. WHO report.” WHO South-East Asia Regional Situation Report road safety” was launched during “Safety 2024”, the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 2024.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 30 per cent of road traffic deaths globally occur among two- and three-wheeler users.

Four-wheeler occupants account for 25 per cent of deaths, while pedestrians account for 21 per cent. Cyclists account for 5 per cent of deaths. The remaining 20 per cent include occupants of large vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and other or unknown user types.

“In the WHO South-East Asia Region, 46 per cent of road traffic deaths are for two- and three-wheeler users, 12 per cent for four-wheeler passengers, 17 per cent for pedestrians, 3 per cent for cyclists and 22 per cent for others. Across all these countries, Vulnerable road users Pedestrians, two-wheeler riders and cyclists account for 66 per cent of total road accident deaths, the report said.

“Among all road user categories, two-wheeler and three-wheeler drivers or riders constitute the highest proportion in India (45.1 per cent), Maldives (100 per cent), Myanmar (47 per cent) and Thailand (51.4 per cent),” it said.

The World Health Organisation said no country in the South Asian region has achieved the projected target of reducing road traffic deaths by 50 per cent.

However, the World Health Organisation estimates that road traffic deaths have decreased significantly in the Maldives and Thailand, where road traffic deaths have decreased by 46.2 per cent and 41.7 per cent, respectively.

In contrast, road traffic deaths in the region increased by 15 per cent over the period 2010-2021. At the country level, no Member State in the Southeast Asia region with a population greater than 10 million reported a reduction in road traffic deaths during this period.

“However, it should be noted that the reported number of road traffic deaths in Thailand decreased by 22.9 per cent between 2016 and 2021. Estimated road traffic deaths in Bangladesh, India and Nepal increased by 23 per cent, 2 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, during the 2010-2021 period,” the report said.

Etienne Krug, Director of the World Health Organisation’s Department of Social Determinants of Health, said road traffic accidents are a major crisis of the 21st century.

He said, “…a large proportion of people who die in road accidents are those who cannot afford a car. It is time to take urgent action. The report shows that the crisis is huge, but we need to understand and act with determination that prevention is possible and requires strict enforcement.”

The three-day conference is being organised by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi; George Institute for Global Health in collaboration with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation.

“To reduce inequities, we must acknowledge that injuries disproportionately affect vulnerable communities — because we are far behind in addressing real problems with real solutions. Experience shows how policy shapes differential exposure, risk, and outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for change,” said Jagnoor Jagnoor, chief of the Injury Division at the George Institute for Global Health.

During the conference, international experts are coming together around the common goal of “Building a safer future for all: equitable and sustainable strategies for preventing injury and violence”.

The conference will focus on five key themes – improving coordination and collaboration among stakeholders, strengthening capacity for research and practice, integrating injury prevention with global health agendas such as sustainability and equity, empowering communities, and promoting informed policy making.

  • Published on September 2, 2024 at 06:14 PM IST

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