Geneva: Some 1.25 million people are killed in traffic accidents around the world each year, with Africa by far the continent with the most dangerous roads, the World Health Organization said in report published on Monday.
"Road traffic fatalities take an unacceptably high toll, particularly on poor people in poor countries," WHO chief Margaret Chan said in a statement.
The UN health agency's Global Status Report on Road Safety showed that the situation is improving, with the number of deaths remaining stable in recent years even as the number of cars and other vehicles on the road has increased rapidly. But traffic accidents are still the leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds worldwide and cost governments on average about 3.0 per cent of their annual gross domestic products, the report showed.
And while many countries have stepped up efforts to improve the situation, including law changes and making vehicles and roads safer, many poorer nations especially are lagging far behind.
A full 90 per cent of global road traffic deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries, even though they count only 54 per cent of the world's vehicles.
The death rate in Africa is particularly high, counting 26.6 annual traffic deaths for every 100,000 citizens, compared with 9.3 in Europe, where the death rate is the lowest.
"We're moving in the right direction," Chan said, noting that "the report shows that road safety strategies are saving lives." "But it also tells us that the pace of change is too slow," she added.
Nearly half of all those killed in traffic are either walking or on two wheels, the report showed, with pedestrians accounting for 22 per cent of all deaths, motorcyclists making up 23 per cent, and cyclists four per cent.
Africa is particularly deadly for pedestrians and cyclists, who make up 43 per cent of all road traffic deaths on the continent, according to the report.
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