More than 1,300 lives could be saved in the UK every year, according to new research, if proven road safety interventions are put in place.
Researchers from around the world analyzed the impact of addressing the “four top risk factors” of speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a helmet and wearing seat belts in 185 countries.
The study, published as a series in The Lancet, found that up to half a million lives could be saved through measures such as infrastructure changes, increased enforcement of drink-driving regulations and the adoption and enforcement of regulations on motorcycle helmets and seat belts. .
Most road deaths are preventable
In the UK, the potential number of lives saved per year for the four areas was 815 for speeding, 373 for seatbelt wearing, 125 for wearing a helmet and 71 for drink-driving.
dr. Andres Vecino-Ortiz, co-author of the series, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA, said: “We hope these new estimates provide tangible impetus to the global road safety community to focus on implementing of evidence-based interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
“These estimates can be used by policymakers to conduct their own priority analyzes to reduce the number of road fatalities.”
Preliminary figures from the Department for Transport show 1,560 fatalities on UK roads last year.
Series co-ordinator Professor Adnan Hyder, of George Washington University in the US, said: “Most road deaths are preventable, but unfortunately fatalities continue to rise in low-income countries, while progress in high-income countries has slowed down in recent years. decade.”