- Road Traffic Injuries
- What is being done?
- What can we do?
- Key messages for children
- Real life stories
- Links
- Did you know..
Road traffic injuries are the leading mechanism of fatal injuries in the WHO European region.
Road traffic injuries - What is being done?
In 2000, the Government set a target of reducing the total number of people being killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads by 40% by 2010 and 50% for children aged 0-15, compared with the 1994-98 average. By 2008, the target for all KSIs had been achieved, and the target for child KSIs had been exceeded, being down by 59%, with child deaths down by 52%.
Possible reasons for this decline may include:
- Improvements in road design, especially at junctions and the provision of crossings
- Improved driver behaviour including lower vehicle speeds and better awareness of vulnerable road users
- Improved pedestrian and cycle behaviour due to education, training and publicity
- Safer vehicle design to reduce the impact of collisions on pedestrians, cyclists and car occupants
- Higher seat belt wearing rates, especially for rear seat passengers.
Despite these significant casualty reductions, it is clear that this is still a significant place where children and young people are killed and seriously injured. In 2009 the Government consulted on proposals to set a further target to reduce child KSIs by a further 50% by 2020.
