Road traffic deaths fell by 5% to 1.19 million fatalities annually worldwide between 2010 and 2021, with 108 UN member nations reporting a drop, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) said. India, however, registered a 15% increase in fatalities.
The WHO’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 shows that, in India, the total number of road traffic fatalities went up from 1.34 lakh in 2010 to 1.54 lakh in 2021. Ten countries succeeded in reducing road traffic deaths by over 50% — Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Thirty-five more countries made notable progress, reducing road traffic deaths by 30% to 50%.
As of 2019, road traffic crashes have been the leading killer of children and youth aged five to 29 years, and are the 12th leading cause of death when all ages are considered. Two-thirds of deaths occur among people of a working age.
