The comparison of the road traffic safety performance of different countries can be misleading because of differences in the reporting of accidents, population sizes, number of vehicles, pedestrian exposure, definition of road deaths, etc. Despite this, the comparisons do give an indication of the degree of road traffic safety in the countries included in the analysis. The road safety performance of 18 countries are compared in terms of road deaths per 10,000 motor vehicles and per 100 million motor vehicle kilometres travelled. The results show that generally the industrialised developed countries have a better road safety record than developing countries. Certain aspects having an effect on road traffic safety are discussed. It is concluded that in order to achieve success the problem should be tackled in its entirety and not only certain aspects thereof. (A)
Samenvatting