PHA-Exchange> traffic accidents
claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn
claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn
Wed Nov 22 02:42:41 PST 2006
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.
âIn a split second, a traffic crash transforms forever the life of a
family,â 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 â the third Sunday of November each
year.
âBehind 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,â 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 â $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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