According to iRAP’s latest study, traffic deaths and injuries cost the world $3.6 trillion annually, or more than 3% of global GDP. Security Insights Explorer Report.

The cost of traffic fatalities alone is estimated at $753 billion per year, followed by limb fractures at $616 billion and severe acquired brain injuries at $414 billion.

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is a registered charity dedicated to preventing the more than 3,500 road deaths that occur every day around the world. To make roads safer, iRAP’s partners provide tools and training to governments, mobility clubs, development banks, research institutes and road safety non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in more than 100 countries.

Greg Smith, Global Program Director at iRAP, noted that we are now halfway through the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, with the global goal of halving the number of road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

In September 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/74/299 entitled “Improving Global Road Safety”, thereby declaring the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. The declaration sets out the ambitious goal of preventing at least 50% of road deaths and injuries by 2030.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Regional Commissions, in collaboration with other partners of the UN Road Safety Cooperation, have developed a global plan for the Decade of Action, which was published in October 2021.

“As countries prepare for the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco next year, this free tool is an essential reference to take evidence-based action by 2030,” Smith said.

A key feature of Insights Explorer is that it provides estimates of the cost of deaths and injuries by injury type, road user, age and gender. This analysis is conducted in partnership with TAC (Transport Accident Claim), a no-fault road accident insurer in Victoria, Australia. TAC’s data on road accident claims shows that more than half of all costs arise more than two years after an accident and are buried deep in the health and social care systems.

“Gathering the latest data and making it available free of charge to decision makers and stakeholders supports the debate about the right level of response to the enormous traffic crashes that occur every day,” Smith said.

Governments, development banks, donors and the private sector all have a role to play in mobilising the sustainable investments needed to reduce road accidents, with far-reaching economic and social benefits.

“We know that safer roads save lives,” said Smith. “A recent study from Johns Hopkins University published in the journal Plos One confirmed that road safety infrastructure changes and safer speeds based on the iRAP methodology and tools have prevented nearly 700,000 deaths and serious injuries since 2016. There are few better investments than safer roads and safer speeds.”

Achieving UN Goal 4, which calls for the majority of road traffic for all road users to be on 3-star or better roads by 2030, could save over 400,000 lives annually. In addition, nearly 330 million lives could be saved and serious injuries avoided over the 20-year lifespan of road improvements, and the global economy would benefit by nearly $987 billion.

The star ratings for roads worldwide help to explain why road crashes remain a leading cause of death and injury worldwide. A very small percentage of vehicles used on the rated roads fall into the 3 star or better category, particularly for the most vulnerable road users, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

The organization says it and its partners have influenced the safety of over $101 billion worth of infrastructure investments, star-rated over 1.8 million kilometers of roads and road structures and 1,356 schools, risk-mapped over 1.8 million kilometers and trained 69,000 people worldwide.

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