Hundreds of lives could be saved through improved road safety measures – study
Researchers from around the world analysed the impact of targeting ‘four key risk factors’.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than 1,300 UK lives could be saved each year if proven road safety interventions were introduced, according to new research.
Researchers from around the world analysed the impact of targeting the “four key risk factors” of speeding, drink-driving, lack of helmet and seatbelt use in 185 countries.
The study, published as a Series in The Lancet, found up to half a million lives could be saved through measures such as infrastructure changes, more enforcement of drink-driving regulations, and the passing and enforcement of motorcycle helmet and seatbelt rules.
Most road traffic deaths are preventable
In the UK, the potential number of lives saved each year for the four areas was 815 for speeding, 373 for seatbelt use, 125 for helmet use and 71 for drink-driving.
Series co-author Dr Andres Vecino-Ortiz, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA, said: “We hope that these new estimates provide tangible impetus for the global road safety community to focus on implementing evidence-based interventions, especially in low and middle-income countries.
“These estimates can be used by policymakers to perform their own priority setting analyses to reduce road fatalities.”
Provisional Department for Transport figures show there were 1,560 fatalities on Britain’s roads last year.
Series co-ordinator Professor Adnan Hyder, from The George Washington University in the US, said: “Most road traffic deaths are preventable, but sadly the number of fatalities continues to rise in low-income countries while progress in high-income countries has slowed over the past decade.”