Millhouse

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 1.3 million people die in road accidents around the world each year. Car crashes have become the leading cause of death for people aged between 5 and 29 yeard old and they cost the global economy up to $500 billion annually. Libya has by far the most deaths per capita - 73.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Thailand comes a distant second with 36.2 while Malawi is in third place with 35.

The number of fatalities on roads in developed nations certainly put those grim numbers into perspective. During the same year, Germany had 4.3 deaths per 100,000 people while the United States and United Kingdom had 10.6 and 2.9 respectively.

al dente

There are a few factors that contribute, one of them, importantly is road infrastructure and the wealth of the nation (poor lighting/ potholes/ motorbikes/overcrowding).

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/10/daily-chart-10

UAE is 32 per 100,000. Which isn't great considering the roads, speed cameras and trauma care.

Boomhauer

I would have thought India,China and Russia would be up there too.

jam25mack

These are also quite likely skewed figures, especially for the ME countries. In the developed world if you are in a crash and you die you are counted in the stats. It doesn't matter if you die in the car, in the ambulance or a year down the line, you're still counted as an RTA death. In many ME countries, if you have a crash and die on the pavement or in the ambulance you are not recorded as a death as a result of a RTA.

This would make the ME's figures significantly worse.

I would estimate Saudi for example would destroy the figures published.

Rubydo

I was just about to say this as I'd heard this too about ME countries. Very skewed figures!

nonthaburi

I would say it comes down to access to hospitals, which if you look at the mostly African counties is lacking. Also how many people live in rural areas, a high percentage in African countries, therefore it's a long way to a cheap hospital. Thailand is a bit of an anomaly in this theory, but 90% of accidents in Thailand are motorbike related, and when must people drive around without helmets three on a bike this is explained.

I can't be bothered to do the maths but they say that 19 people die each day in Saudi on the roads. This is better than it used to be.

Motorbikes aren't big in the ME though, so I'm not sure that those countries would be up there, plus access to hospitals is good.

BritInParis

The stats are also skewed by counting the deaths per 100,000 inhabitants rather than road users. India's roads are deadly but relatively few people drive - only 18 vehicles per 1000 people, making it 160 out of 192 countries for car ownership - so it doesn't translate the real risk of taking to India's roads given that most Indians never do.

Bipat

That's not quite accurate, your statistics exclude motorcycles and half the road fatalities are for 2 wheeler motorcycles. Helmets are only just becoming compulsory in many cities. Also rickshaws, although speeds are obviously less, about 20 mph maximum; many bad accidents with these but less fatalities. So to say most Indians never do take to the roads is not correct.

I was surprised that India was not in the above list of countries when I noticed the thread title as I am something of a road phobic there, absolutely refuse to go on long distance buses nowadays, take a rickshaw to shops as easier than crossing roads as a pedestrian.

mikewot

I cannot imagine you going shopping, that is a task for your domestics.

Rubydo

So basically how you started your comment was contradicted by the middle and end? Haha :-p

Millhouse

I was also disappointed to see India not feature on the list.

You see, its because it's such an advanced place. It's that middle class you keep talking about.

scrubbedexpat141

So there IS something bad about India. I knew it.

I'm sure Top Gear talked about the stat when they did their India special years ago. It was staggering, the footage of them driving at night as well was a sight to behold. Such a shame some folk seem to have so little value for their own life.

Millhouse

... or others. Terrible cultural trait, it really is. They view each other as expendables.

nonthaburi

Where was the contradiction? I gave reasons why I thought the African countries and Thailand were up there, and I gave reasons why I thought ME countries weren't.

I've just done the maths for Saudi because I'm at work doing absolutely nothing today. Using the 19 deaths a day figure, this gives you around 7000 a year. Based on a population of about 30,000,000 this would mean a rate of around 23.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. Be interesting to see what the figure is officially.

Rubydo

The access to hospitals part. Geee's Louise I was just messing with u