MANILA, Philippines — Road mishaps are now the leading cause of death among the young, with 1.35 million people dying on the roads each year, while 90 percent of the total number of traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed. “What’s killing our young children and adults is road traffic crashes,” Etienne Krug, director of the WHO department that deals with violence and injury prevention, said. This report is a call for governments and partners to take much greater action to implement these measures,” he said. WHO has contributed to the reduction of road tragedies through its collaboration with the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, which prioritizes high-risk countries in intervention through building sustainable transportation alternatives, safer roads, monitoring vehicle standards and policy strengthening. Twenty-two countries have improved their legislation since 2015, and several have taken measures to improve trauma care services and infrastructure, signaling moves toward progress.

Source: Philippine Star December 10, 2018 01:25 UTC