Citation

Zwi AB, Sethi D. Eur. J. Public Health 1999; 9(1): 65-67.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/eurpub/9.1.65

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The 1998 World Disasters Report, published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, highlighted traffic accidents as a major problem. While this differs from the traditional emphasis on the effects of conflict and natural disasters, traffic crashes, collisions and fatalities do indeed kill, injure and disable large numbers of people, result in massive economic losses and often overwhelm societal responses.

Traffic-related injuries, fatalities and disabilities are particularly acute in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and are set to increase as industrialisation, urbanisation and motorisation proceed. Of die world's annual 856,000 traffic fatalities, 76% were estimated to occur in LMICs.

The World Disaster Report is right to highlight traffic accidents as a grave but under-resourced problem. A necessary starting point for reducing road fatalities is good documentation, information and surveillance data which can assist in raising the profile, stimulating debate and facilitating introduction and evaluation of interventions. Economic evaluation of road safety interventions is urgently required. A multi-sectoral national road safety body with political clout is likely to be an appropriate conduit for balancing competing interests and complementary efforts between the health, transport, police and private sectors. Policy analyses will help identify the best mechanisms for shifting the issue up the political and public health agenda and for mobilising the support of emergent civil society structures to place broader issues of safety and protection on the agenda where these belong.