Citation

The editors. Lancet 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01209-0

PMID

35779551

Abstract

The UN High-Level Meeting on global road safety (June 30-July 1) aims to put the issue on the highest political agenda. The need is huge. The global burden of road traffic injuries is estimated at an annual 1·35 million deaths, and 50 million injuries and disabilities. Road traffic injuries are not limited to drivers, but also affect pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. They are also the global leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5-29 years. There have been international commitments on road safety: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.6 calls for a 50% reduction of road traffic injuries by 2030 (they are the only type of injury with an explicit SDG target); SDG target 11.2 demands safe and sustainable transport for all; the UN's decade of road traffic injury action from 2010 to 2020; and a biennial UN Global Road Safety Week. But as the numbers of deaths and injuries show, there is a clear mismatch between the global dialogue on road traffic injuries and action in tackling them.

Language: en