PHA-Exchange> UN TO PREPARE MANUALS TO TACKLE HUGE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC COSTS OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

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from Vern Weitzel <vern at coombs.anu.edu.au> -----
    
UN TO PREPARE MANUALS TO TACKLE HUGE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC COSTS OF TRAFFIC 
ACCIDENTS
New York, Nov 20 2006  9:00PM

With road accidents killing 1.2 million people worldwide every year, injuring 
up to 50 million more 
and racking up $518 billion in costs and losses, the United Nations health 
agency is preparing a 
series of manuals on counter-steps, including laws, enforcement, and 
information sharing on the use 
of seat-belts, helmets and child restraints.

“In a split second, a traffic crash transforms forever the life of a 
family,” the Director of the UN 
World Health Organization 
(<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2006/np34/en/index.html">WHO) 
Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention, Etienne Krug, said in a 
statement marking World Day 
of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – the third Sunday of November each 
year.

“Behind each statistic, there are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, 
brothers and sisters, 
grandchildren, colleagues, classmates and friends. For every death or injury, 
there are scores of 
people who must cope with the physical, psychological or economic 
aftermath,” he added.

Road accidents are the second leading cause of death globally among young 
people aged 5 to 29, and 
the third leading cause among people aged 30 to 44 years. In low- and middle-
income countries, the 
cost of traffic injuries is estimated at $65 billion, exceeding the total 
amount these countries 
receive in development assistance. Globally, injuries cost countries between 1 
and 2 per cent of 
gross national product – $518 billion every year.

Yet most road traffic crashes are preventable, WHO said. There are many 
available and affordable 
interventions which can save lives and prevent injuries and disabilities. 
These include legislation 
and enforcement, sharing information on the use of seat-belts, helmets, and 
child restraints and on 
the dangers of speed and drink-driving, and improvements in road design and 
infrastructure and 
emergency trauma services.

WHO, with partners from the UN Road Safety Collaboration, is working on 
manuals to address these 
factors and provide guidance to countries on how to design, implement and 
evaluate related policies 
and programmes.
 

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