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Young people and road safety

Why is it critical that youth get hooked on road safety?

The World Health Organization has identified five key issues:

  1. Road traffic injuries are a major global public health and development problem.
    Their magnitude is expected to rise considerably in the years ahead.
  2. Road traffic injuries greatly impact upon young lives.
  3. Road traffic injuries can be prevented.
  4. Road safety is no accident.
  5. International cooperation is crucial to strengthening national road safety efforts.

Know the Facts

Around the World

  • Road traffic injuries are the second leading cause of death for young people aged 5–25 years.
  • The highest rate of fatalities in the 0–25 age range occur among young road users in low-income and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
  • Males account for 75% of all road traffic fatalities among those under 25 years of age.
  • In low-income and middle-income countries, the young road users most likely to be involved in a crash are vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and passengers of private and public transport – with regional variability.
  • In high-income countries those most at risk are drivers.
  • It is estimated that every year road traffic crashes cost US$ 518 billion globally.
  • In low-income and middle-income countries, road traffic crashes cost an estimated US$ 100 billion, which exceeds the total amount received by these countries in overseas development assistance.

Road traffic injury mortality rates
(per 100,000 population) in WHO regions, 2002

Road traffic injury mortality rates (per 100,000 population) in WHO regions, 2002
Source: World Health Organization. 2006. First United Nations Road Safety Week.

In Canada

  • In Canada, 28% of all road traffic deaths and 32% of road traffic injuries occur among people under 25.
  • Young people under 25 represented:
    • 24% of all drivers killed and 23% of all drivers injured
    • 42% of all passengers killed and 47% all passengers injured
    • 31% of all cyclist killed and 35% of all cyclist injured
    • 18% of all pedestrians killed and 37% of all pedestrians injured
Road Traffic Fatalities and Injuries, Canada, 2004
Age Group Fatalities Injuries Total
0-4 13 2,729
5-14 82 11,783
15-19 306 25,958
20-24 392 28,432
Total - All ages 2,725 215,248
Source: National Collision Database, 2005, Transport Canada.
Date modified:
2009-09-02