The road insecurity worldwide

While high-income countries managed to reduce the rate of road mortality thanks to intensive preventive programs and restrictive measures, the rest of the world is still lagging behind, strained by the increase of road traffic accidents and the high loss experience.

According to the late WHO's report 'Global status report on road safety', published in June 2009 and which relies on a survey conducted in 2008 in 178 countries, the poor countries are the hardest-hit by this epidemic. More than 90% of deaths caused by road traffic accidents occur in low or medium-income countries. These countries, however, account for just 47.9% of the car fleet worldwide.

By the year 2030, in the absence of new road safety policies, road traffic accidents are poised to climb from the ninth to the fifth cause of worldwide mortality, with 2.4 million killed per year.

Breakdown of deaths, of the car fleet and the world population

Roads are safer in the developed countries

By making the struggle against road insecurity a priority, the rich and industrialized countries have managed to reduce the number of victims and obtain encouraging results. They report only 8.5% of cases of death worldwide while accounting for more than half the world's car fleet (52.1%). The mortality rate is below ten people for 100 000 inhabitants, that is, twice or three times less than the one reported in most African countries.

The decrease of road traffic accidents in the developed countries is accounted for by:

• the technological breakthroughs: vehicles are outfitted with more and more efficient safety gear
• the modernization of the car fleet, the risk of being killed or wounded is reduced fourfold with a new car
• the efficiency of prehospital care and the promptness of rescue services
• the enforcement of repressive measures against offenders
• the improvement of the road infrastructure with the installation of rotary intersections

Population, cars, deaths and mortality rates per road traffic accident in some high income countries in 2007

Decrease in the number of accidents and increase of indemnifications

Today, a number of industrialized countries have, indeed, managed to reduce the rates of the road accidents rates. Yet, they are still faced with more costly claims and higher expenses (vehicle repair costs, health care and victims' indemnification). In France, between 1999 and 2007, the number of claims having cost more than 3 million EUR (4.1 million USD) more than doubled (118 claims in 2007 versus 58 in 1999). Accidents whose costs have exceeded 8 million EUR (10.9 million USD) reached the number of 13 while in 1999 no such cases were reported.

Because of the increase in the victims' indemnifications, the rise of losses in 2009 and the decline of the insurers' capacities, motor insurance tariffs have increased in 2010, especially in Europe. France has raised its motor tariffs by 3% in average.

Road insecurity, the scourge of poor countries

For some years now, low or medium-income countries are reporting a considerable increase of road insecurity due to the non-availability or to the inefficiency of preventive measures. As a result, they sustain important economic losses which slow down their development. For the poorest countries, the situation is even worse : surveys show that these countries, alone, account for 42% of the worldwide mortality while their car fleet represents no more than 9.2%. Moreover, this scourge costs them up to 5% of their GDP.

According to the World Bank, the economic losses triggered by the road traffic accidents range between 65 billion USD and 100 billion USD per year in southern countries, that is, more than half the total amount of the aid to development. These expenses weigh down an already fragile health care system, increase the misery of households and worsen poverty.

The increase of the road insecurity in the developing countries is accounted for by:

• the rapid increase of the car fleet and that of the two-wheelers. In Africa, vehicles are old and in awful state due to the lack of maintenance and technical control.
• the absence of urban plans and decent infrastructure: such as the non-availability of sidewalks or bicycle lanes.
• the insufficient resources required for the enforcement of the road safety measures.
• the non-compliance with the regulatory frameworks: the traffic rules.
• the undisciplined road users: non-respect of the safety principles such as the wearing of the helmet or of the safety belt.
• the deficient rescue and the defaulting coverage of the seriously injured people.

In Africa

In most African countries, the rate of road traffic accidents exceeds 30 for 100 000 inhabitants. Every 60 minutes, 22 people perish in a road crash, that is, 200 000 per year, according to the WHO estimates.

The Economic Commission for Africa within the United Nations has ranked the road traffic accidents on the African continent as the second cause of mortality behind malaria, for the age group comprised between 15 and 44. This scourge triggers 10 billion USD of economic losses, that is, 2% of their GDP.

In 2009, a country like Nigeria, where the world's deadliest roads are found, 4620 deaths and 12 000 damaged vehicles have been reported. According to the Federal Agency of Road Safety in Nigeria, roads kill an average 400 people per month in this country.

Population, vehicles, deaths and mortality rates per road traffic accidents in some African countries in 2007

In the Maghreb and the Arab countries

At the top of the list of the Maghreb and the Arab countries comes Algeria, which also holds the fourth world ranking in terms of road insecurity.

For an ever-growing car fleet (5.5 million vehicles in 2009 versus 2.9 million in 2000), Algeria reported in 2009, 60 000 wounded people and 4 300 deaths. This massive killer, which claims everyday the lives of 12 people and injures another 178, has become the first cause of mortality in Algeria. According to the Command of National Police, It costs more than 100 billion DZD (1.4 billion USD) per year to the public treasury.

For the other Maghreb countries, the situation is not any better.

In Morocco the provisional 2009 toll revealed 69 348 claims (an increase of 18.7% in comparison with the average of the five recent 2004/2008), claiming the lives of approximately 4 000 people (+6.45% in comparison with the same period).

For the entire Arab countries, 40 000 deaths, 250 000 injuries and 60 billion USD of losses have been reported. The Gulf countries are reporting a very high mortality rate despite the modern road infrastructure.

In Saudi Arabia, for instance, 6 000 deaths are reported every year, that is, an average of 29 deaths for 100 000 inhabitants.

Population, cars, deaths and mortality rates per road traffic accidents in some Maghreb and Arab countries in 2007

In Asia

The Asian region (South-East Asia and Western Pacific) account for more than half the deaths worldwide, that is, about 700 000 killed per year, according to the WHO report. Most of the victims belong to the vulnerable category of road users: pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheelers motorcyclists as well as their passengers. In 2007, more than half the deaths caused by the road traffic accidents occurred in China and in India where two million Indians suffering from road accident-related handicaps are reported.

Well below that of Africa, the mortality rate in Asia has reached 20 deaths for 100 000 inhabitants and exceeds, nevertheless, the 60 deaths/100 000 for the two-wheelers motorcyclists (61 in Indonesia, 62 in Cambodia and 69.7 in Thailand).

Population, cars, deaths and mortality rates per road traffic accidents in some Asian countries in 2007