This document summarizes the key findings of the 2013 Global Status Report on Road Safety. It found that while 88 countries reduced traffic deaths, the global total remains high at 1.24 million per year. Only 28 countries have comprehensive laws covering 5 major risk factors. Half of all road deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The report calls for increased adoption of comprehensive laws, stronger enforcement, safer infrastructure for vulnerable users, vehicle standards, and improved emergency response systems and road safety data.

1. GLOBAL STATUS
REPORT ON ROAD
SAFETY
2013
SUPPORTING A DECADE OF
ACTION

2. MONITORING A DECADE
• UN GA resolution 54/255
in 2010 called for a
Decade of Action for
Road Safety (2011–
2020).
• Status reports to be used
as a monitoring tool for
the Decade.

3. GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
ON ROAD SAFETY 2013
• Made possible through
funding from Bloomberg
Philanthropies.
• Country-based,
multisectoral, consensus
process used to gather
information.

4. PARTICIPATING
COUNTRIES

5. MAIN MESSAGES
• 88 countries have reduced their road traffic deaths,
but the global total at 1.24 million remains
unacceptably high.
• Only 28 countries have comprehensive laws that
cover 5 major risk factors.
• Half of all road traffic deaths are among
pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

6. SOME COUNTRIES ARE MAKING
PROGRESS, BUT THE ROAD
TRAFFIC DEATH RATE REMAINS
UNACCEPTABLY HIGH AT 1.24
MILLION PER YEAR

7. MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
ARE HARDEST HIT

8. AFRICA HAS HIGHEST ROAD TRAFFIC
DEATH RATES PER 100 000
POPULATION

9. 35 COUNTRIES PASSED NEW LAWS
BUT ONLY 7% OF THE WORLD'S
POPULATION IS COVERED FOR ALL
5 RISK FACTORS

10. ONLY 59 COUNTRIES HAVE A
COMPREHENSIVE URBAN SPEED LAW
Comprehensive urban speed law = 50km/h and local authorities allowed to reduce limits

11. 89 COUNTRIES HAVE A
COMPREHENSIVE DRINK–DRIVING
LAW
Comprehensive drink–driving law = Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05 g/dl.

12. 90 COUNTRIES HAVE
COMPREHENSIVE MOTORCYCLE
HELMET LAWS
Comprehensive motorcycle helmet law = All riders, all roads, all engine types + helmet
standard.

13. 111 COUNTRIES HAVE A
COMPREHENSIVE SEAT-BELT
LAWS
Comprehensive seat-belt law = Applies to all vehicle occupants.

14. HALF OF ALL COUNTRIES HAVE
A CHILD RESTRAINT LAW
BUT ENFORCEMENT IS POOR

15. FEW COUNTRIES RATE THE
ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS AS
"GOOD"
"Good" enforcement defined as 8 or more on a scale of 0 to 10.

16. HALF OF ALL DEATHS ARE AMONG
VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

17. ONLY 35% OF COUNTRIES HAVE
POLICIES WHICH PROMOTE
WALKING AND CYCLING

18. VEHICLE STANDARDS SHOULD BE
ADOPTED IN ALL COUNTRIES
• 52 countries were part of UN Forum for
Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations in 2010.
• Only 30 countries take part in an New Car
Assessment Programmes.
• Few vehicles are designed with the vulnerable road
user in mind.

19. FOR EVERY PERSON WHO DIES,
20 ARE INJURED
• For every 1 person who dies in a road traffic crash, 20 are
injured.
• 1 in 20 of those injured are left with a disability.
• Only 111 countries have a universal national access
emergency number.
• Only 59 countries have an ambulance service able to
transfer over 75% of injured patients.
• Less than 2/3 of doctors and <50% nurses are trained in
emergency care in LMICs.

20. DATA SYSTEMS IN MOST
COUNTRIES REMAIN POOR
• Most countries (71%) rely on Police data systems
only, few (17%) combine databases.
• 50% of countries use a 30-day definition.
• Only 104 countries reported robust data (in terms of
coverage and completeness).
• For 78 countries comparative estimates had to be
generated using a statistical model.

21. RECOMMENDATIONS
• The pace of legislative change is too slow: increase
adoption of comprehensive laws.
• Enforcement of strong road safety laws is essential for
success and should be coupled with public awareness.
• Reducing road traffic deaths requires more consideration of
the needs of pedestrians, cyclists & motorcyclists.
• Also need to make infrastructure safer, implement crash
testing standards, as well as improve post-crash care and
road safety databases.