Despite 21% decline, road crashes remain a global health emergency — WHO

Global road traffic deaths have declined by 21 percent since 2011, but road crashes continue to claim an estimated 1.16 million lives annually, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report revealed that despite improvements in road safety measures, traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged between 5 and 29 years worldwide.

The findings were released alongside the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly declaration aimed at accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by half before 2030.

WHO said the decline in fatalities occurred despite a major increase in global vehicle ownership, with more than one billion additional motor vehicles introduced onto roads between 2011 and 2025.

The agency noted that the rapid expansion of motorcycle use, driven partly by the growth of ride-hailing and delivery services, has created new challenges for road safety.

The global motorcycle population more than tripled during the period, with motorcycle riders now accounting for nearly one-third of all road traffic deaths worldwide.

WHO officials stressed the importance of protective measures, noting that the use of certified safety helmets can reduce the risk of death among motorcycle riders by more than six times.

More than half of all road traffic fatalities involve vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycle riders who have limited physical protection compared with occupants of enclosed vehicles.

Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Social Determinants of Health, said road designs that prioritize vehicles over pedestrians and cyclists continue to expose millions of people to unnecessary danger.

“More than half of all road deaths are people who aren’t even in a car — they are walking, cycling, or riding a motorcycle,” Krug said, stressing the need for stronger laws, safer infrastructure, better enforcement, and lower vehicle speeds.

The WHO report highlighted significant differences in road safety improvements across regions.

The European region recorded the largest decline in road deaths, reducing fatalities by 36 percent between 2011 and 2025. The Western Pacific region recorded a 15 percent reduction, while South-East Asia achieved a modest 2 percent decline. The Americas saw little change, with fatality rates remaining largely unchanged.

However, the African region recorded a 17 percent increase in road traffic deaths during the same period, with WHO attributing the rise partly to rapid infrastructure expansion that often lacks adequate pedestrian protection and safety planning.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed international commitments to improve road safety but warned that every road death represents a preventable tragedy.

The organisation called on governments to adopt a “Safe System” approach, which focuses on designing roads, vehicles, and transport systems that reduce the likelihood of fatal outcomes even when human errors occur.

The recommended measures include improving road designs for pedestrians and cyclists, enforcing speed limits, strengthening helmet and seatbelt regulations, tackling impaired driving, and improving emergency medical response systems.

The UN declaration on road safety also encourages countries to establish dedicated road safety agencies and integrate safety planning into national transport and urban development policies as part of efforts to meet the 2030 global target.