World sees 8% fall in road deaths in even as vehicle numbers surge: WHO

NEW DELHI: Road traffic deaths globally declined by 8% to 11.6 lakh annually and fatality rates dropped by 21% between 2010 and 2025 despite the addition of more than one billion motor vehicles, according to a new estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO).As per the WHO, road crashes continue to claim a heavy toll, with an estimated 11.6 lakh people killed in 2025 compared to 12.6 lakh in 2010 when the first decade of action for road safety was launched. Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5-29 years for over a decade.The estimate was released as United Nations (UN) member states adopted a new General Assembly declaration on road safety aimed at accelerating efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 compared with 2021 levels.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “This progress shows that change is possible when countries invest in safe road systems. In the last 15 years we’ve made real progress in reducing road deaths, despite surging vehicle numbers and major shifts in how people move.”He said the new declaration would help countries prioritise road designs that put people, rather than vehicles, at the centre of transport planning, stressing that every road death is preventable.The declaration commits governments to implementing national road safety strategies with measurable targets, dedicated budgets and timelines. It calls for stronger road safety agencies, improved crash data systems, tougher legislation and enforcement, and higher safety standards for roads, infrastructure and vehicles.Central to the declaration is the “Safe System” approach, which assumes that human error is inevitable and therefore seeks to ensure roads, vehicles and speed limits are designed to prevent fatal or serious injuries when crashes occur.Progress has varied significantly across regions. The WHO European Region recorded a 36% decline in road deaths, while the Western Pacific Region reported a 15% reduction. Southeast Asia saw only a 2% decline, the Americas recorded no significant change, and road deaths in the African Region increased by 17%.WHO highlighted changing mobility patterns as a major challenge. The number of motorcycles worldwide has more than tripled between 2011 and 2025, driven largely by ride-hailing and delivery services. Motorcyclists now account for nearly one-third of global road fatalities. The global body noted that wearing a quality helmet reduces the risk of death in a crash by more than six times.“More than half of all road deaths are people who aren’t even in a car — they are walking, cycling or riding a motorcycle. When roads are designed as if only car drivers matter, these people are left dangerously exposed,” said Etienne Krug, irector of the Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention at WHO. “We know what works – strong laws and enforcement, safe infrastructure and vehicles with particular attention to lowering speed and addressing impaired driving. This declaration means we must all go further and faster.”Ministers and experts from different countries, including from Brazil, highlighted the growing number of fatalities involving two-wheeler occupants and the need for evidence-based enforcement for making roads safer.