Overview
- World Health Organization figures show an 8% drop in annual road deaths to about 1.16 million and a 21% fall in fatality rates between 2010 and 2025, despite more than one billion new vehicles.
- A Lancet Public Health analysis using IHME data found age-standardized road injury incidence and mortality rates fell by over 30% from 1990 to 2023 while absolute numbers of injuries and deaths remain large.
- More than 90% of road injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where safety measures, safer road design and emergency trauma care lag behind high-income nations.
- Motorcycle use has more than tripled since 2011, motorcyclists now make up a large share of fatalities, and WHO says quality helmets sharply reduce death risk, highlighting gaps in helmet quality and enforcement.
- United Nations member states approved a new General Assembly declaration endorsing the Safe System approach and committing governments to targets, budgets, stronger laws and better crash data to try to halve deaths and serious injuries by 2030.