The Importance of Data for Global Road Safety

Abstract

 

The epidemic of deaths and injuries on roads throughout the world is not a new problem; poor infrastructure, lack of enforcement of road safety laws and sub-standard vehicles are just a few of the factors that have contributed to traffic-related mortality and disability for decades (Peden et al. 2004). However, it is only more recently that issues surrounding road safety have began to receive the attention they deserve.

Aware of the growing burden of road traffic injuries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank released the “World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention” in 2004. By 2008, WHO predicted that road traffic injuries (RTIs) would become the 5th leading cause of death by 2030 (World Health Organization [WHO] 2008). This fact, combined with 2004 report led to several recommendations and United Nations (UN) resolutions calling on governments to do their part in reducing road traffic deaths and injuries. In 2009, WHO also published the first “Global Status Report on Road Safety,” which was the first assessment of the road safety situation in 178 countries around the world (WHO 2009). And in 2010, the UN General Assembly officially proclaimed 2011–2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to save 5 million lives during the 10-year period (WHO 2011a).

The Decade of Action is an opportunity for governments around the world to work with their partners in public health, transport, law enforcement, civil society and the private sector to halt the upward trend, and ultimately reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to road traffic crashes. Many countries have already expressed their commitment to the Decade, held national launch events, and drafted national action plans (Global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020; WHO 2011b).

This recent important momentum for road safety action has also been amplified by the Road Safety in 10 Countries project (RS-10), which is a five-year initiative supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies to evaluate and implement road safety solutions where they are needed most. RS-10 is currently focusing on Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and Viet Nam (Peden 2010). These countries represent almost half of all traffic deaths globally (Peden 2004; WHO 2009).

The Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (IIRU) is taking the lead on the monitoring and evaluation of RS-10 and has produced an impressive amount of new and aggregate data on road safety in the chosen countries. This growing amount of evidence for road safety interventions will help decision makers implement policies and solutions that are proven to be effective, ultimately furthering the goals of the Decade of Action (Hyder et al. 2012).

This special issue of Traffic Injury Prevention is a compilation of the first two years of data collection and analysis during RS-10, and represents important strides in road safety research. Jointly, these papers provide the foundation for future work in the 10 countries of RS-10 – both during the project and beyond – and enhance the knowledge base for road safety research globally.