Road Traffic Accidents as Public Health Challenge in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region.
The WHO estimated road traffic fatalities for the GCC nations for 2013 and the death rates per 100,000 population and registered vehicles are as follows along with comparison data for the US and the United Kingdom.
Although low- and middle-income nations account for 54% of the registered motor vehicles globally, they represent 90% of the roads traffic fatalities. Of the 68 nations that have experienced increases in road traffic fatalities since 2010, 84% are low and middle income. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is second only to the African Region in the road fatality rate per 100,000, 26.6 and 19.9, respectively. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is unique in that the high-income nations within this region have higher fatality rates than their less wealthy neighbors.
The fatality rate experienced by this population of 22.4 per 100,000 populations far exceeds the global average rates for the high income nations of 9.2 per 100,000. This alone may justify giving special attention to this Region in addition to its increasing global importance economically and politically. Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death to people in the 15 to 29-year age cohort in 2012 (loc. cit. xi), with the associated adverse implications for families due to psychological and economic loss and the loss of social capital from the national perspective.
As an important component of its Global Plan for Road Safety, 2011-2020, the UN and WHO included the encouragement and reporting of legislative and regulatory efforts to modify drivers’ and passengers’ behavior to enhance road safety. The key elements include national speed limits, drink-driving, motorcycle helmet, seat-belt, child restraint, drug-influenced driving and mobile
phone use (distracted driving) laws.
Public Health Open J. 2016; 1(3): e6-e7. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-1-e004
