With the rapid expansion of motor vehicle use in developing nations, road traffic–related deaths and injuries are rising sharply. More than 1 million people died from road traffic crashes in low- and middle-income nations in 2000; according to the World Health Organization (WHO), that number could nearly double by 2020. Children are particularly vulnerable; WHO calculates that in 2002, road traffic injuries were the second-leading cause of death globally among those aged 5 to 29, and 96 percent of those killed lived in low- and middle-income countries. On the order of 20 serious injuries are estimated to occur for every road death. Beyond the human toll, road traffic injuries impair the growth and development of low- and middle-income countries by draining at least 1 percent of their gross domestic product, or $65 billion annually. This document is a summary of the presentations and discussions at a workshop entitled “Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for U.S. Cooperation and Engagement,” held on January 26 and 27, 2006, in Washington, D.C., and organized by the Transportation Research Board, the Policy and Global Affairs Division, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The workshop brought together administrators and professionals from U.S. government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and academic research institutions to discuss the effects of the worldwide problem of road traffic injuries on U.S. interests, as well as prospects for further U.S. action to address the problem. (Author/publisher)
Abstract