Citation

Praharaj M. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2005; 13: 13p.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Each year road traffic injuries take the lives of 1.2 million men, women and children around the world, and seriously injure millions more. The death toll is highest and still growing in low and middle-income countries, where pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists and passengers are especially vulnerable. With nearly 1.26 million fatalities and over 35 million injured in road accidents each year. Over 75% of these casualties occur in developing countries and countries in transition, although they account for only 32% of motor vehicles. The first recorded automobile accident in the world took place on 30th May 1896 in New York City of U.S.A. Since then road accident has assumed enormous importance in the field of road transport all over the world. There have been very wide differences in the number of road accidents, number of deaths and injured due to accidents among the developed and developing nations of the world. Among the 24 selected countries of the world, it is observed that U.S.A. tops the accident list. It is alarming to observe that the number of persons injured per 100 accidents were very high in all developed countries, the highest being in U.S.A. (153) as per 1996 estimates. An estimate by transport and road research laboratory, U.K. shows that road accidents accounted for about 17 percent of all death in 15 developing nations. In India, the average number of people injured or killed in every 1000 vehicle is remarkably high with 65 as compared to an equally high average of 61 in South Asia but a significantly low average of 12 and 14 in middle income countries and high income countries respectively.