Road fatalities a major public health problem: WHO official

Road traffic fatalities and non-communicable diseases will collectively account for 56 per cent of the projected 67 million deaths in 2030 globally, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said today.
Tami Toroyan, Technical Officer at WHO, said strong legislation and strict enforcement of rules have helped many countries to significantly bring down road traffic crash and fatalities.
She was addressing a workshop on 'Road Safety and Public Health' here.
Road traffic crashes, together with non-communicable diseases, will collectively account for 56 per cent of the projected 67 million deaths in 2030 globally, she said.
The burden of road traffic deaths will be borne largely by the poor and middle-income countries like India, Toroyan said. "Road traffic injuries/fatalities is a leading public health and development problem."

Amrita Kansal, National Consultant (Road Safety and Injury Prevention) at WHO, said passing a law against drunk driving and enforcing it strictly could help in reducing the number of road deaths by over 20 per cent in some countries.
In Australia, alcohol-related deaths fell by 36 per cent in New South Wales, 42 per cent in Tasmania and 40 per cent in Victoria after random breath testing was introduced, she said.
Laws on compulsory use of helmets for two-wheeler riders brought down deaths involving motorcycle users by 30 per cent in Malaysia and 21 per cent in Thailand, Kansal added.