Road accidents kill 1.35 million a year
New data suggest roads injuries remain the biggest killer of children and young adultsNew World Health Organization (WHO) figures suggest roads deaths rose in 2016 to around 1.35 million, with Africa remaining the most dangerous place in the world to drive.
According to the WHO, more people die from road-related injuries than from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and other water-borne diseases like cholera or dysentery.
To put Africa's towering death rates in perspective, its 26.6 fatalities per 100,000 is almost three times that of Europe, which has the lowest rate of road deaths.
The WHO report also suggests that car accidents are now the leading cause of death among children and young adults.
Most at risk on our roads are motorcycle riders and passengers, who account for roughly 28 per cent of all road deaths, followed closely by pedestrians and cyclists, who make up 26 per cent of all deaths.
The authors of the WHO report suggest many countries within Africa and South America should start implementing appropriate speed limits to reduce the number of casualties.
WHO claims that half of 54 countries in Africa currently have no speed limits at all.
Despite the rise in the global road toll, WHO says that due to an increase in population, the death rate globally has remained static.
WHO claims that cycling lanes, better traffic legislation governing speeding, seat belt use and improved vehicle standards have all played a role in reducing road deaths in Europe, the Americas and the Western Pacific, which have all seen a drop in those killed in road accidents.
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