Independent studies by both the World Health Organisation and the World Bank (1990) have estimated that 500,000 individuals lose their lives each year as a result of road accidents, and over 15 million suffer injuries. The majority of these - around 70 per cent - occur in those countries which the World Bank classifies as low or middle income. However, a significant proportion also take place in countries in Asia and the Middle East that are often described as 'Emerging'. Whereas the road accident situation is slowly improving in Europe and North America, most developing and emerging countries face a worsening situation. The authors believe that this is not the inevitable price that has to be paid by these countries for the mobility of people and goods, and that there is much scope for improving their respective road safety situations whilst developing into advanced industrialised societies. This paper presents a broad review of the road safety problems in developing and emerging countries, since a thorough understanding of these must be gained before an effective improvement strategy can be devised. In particular the road safety situation in selected Middle Eastern countries is identified and put into perspective in terms of levels of motorisation. The nature of the problem is also assessed. The importance of a sound database is emphasised together with an outline of how existing systems can be improved. Recommendations for improvements are included, based on the detailed research carried out by the Overseas Centre at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) over the last 20 years. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting