Abstract
Although road crashes are responsible for just over 2% of total deaths each year, they account for almost 7% of years of life lost through all causes of death. This is more than years lost through cerebrovascular disease or lung cancer. When only years of life lost before the age of 65 or during the working age span are considered, road accidents account for more years lost than those lost through all forms of heart disease and about three-quarters of those lost through all cancers. These figures suggest that preventing road crash fatalities is a significant economic and public health issue.