Skip to main content

2012 was record road death low in most OECD-IRTAD countries, says report

The year 2012 is said to have seen the lowest road deaths on record within most OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) and IRTAD (International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group) countries. However, the IRTAD Annual Road Safety Report 2013, published yesterday by the International Transport Forum at the OECD, also claims road safety performance in terms of fatalities per 100,000 of population varies considerably among OECD-IRTAD countries. The difference between the best and the w
May 23, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
The year 2012 is said to have seen the lowest road deaths on record within most OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) and 3444 IRTAD (International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group) countries.

However, the IRTAD Annual Road Safety Report 2013, published yesterday by the 1102 International Transport Forum at the OECD, also claims road safety performance in terms of fatalities per 100,000 of population varies considerably among OECD-IRTAD countries. The difference between the best and the worst road safety performers is said to be three-fold.

The disparity is said by the IRTAD report to reflect the divide between developed countries with effective road safety policies and emerging economies facing rapid motorisation that outpaces the implementation of safety measures.

The bulk of reductions in fatalities is said to have benefitted car occupants. Largely due to increased passive safety features of cars, deaths among car passengers have halved in the past decade.

Results have been less positive for vulnerable road users. Between 2000 and 2010, in OECD-IRTAD countries pedestrian and cyclist deaths fell by only one third, and those of moped and motorcycle riders by only 14%.

The safety of vulnerable road users continues to be a core road safety issue, not least in lower income countries. Also, with many countries seeking to encourage active mobility, improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists is said by the IRTAD report to be a priority.

Another core challenge is the reduction of serious injuries caused by road crashes. Such injuries often result in lifelong disabilities associated with considerable economic as well as emotional costs.

The impact of serious road injuries is often greatly underestimated, partly because of gaps in the data recording injury crashes. Currently, only a limited number of countries are able to provide sound road injury data.

An internationally accepted definition of a serious injury did not exist until recently. A proposal made by an IRTAD expert group has now been adopted by the 2465 European Commission, which is expected to issue a reduction target on serious injuries for the year 2020. The challenge for IRTAD members now is to implement the recommendations.

IRTAD is an international expert network and database on road safety data. A permanent working group of the International Transport Forum, IRTAD is composed of road safety experts and statisticians from safety research institutes, national road and transport administrations, international organisations, universities, automobile associations, the automobile industry, and others from OECD and non-OECD countries.

More than 70 organisations from 34 countries are currently IRTAD members, representing a wide range of public and private bodies with an interest in road safety.

The most visible product of the IRTAD Group is the International Road Traffic and Accident Database. The database includes aggregated data on injury accidents, road fatalities, injured and hospitalised road users, as well as relevant exposure data.

The ambition of IRTAD is to include new countries and to build and maintain a high-quality database on road safety information.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Boost to eSafety technologies funds
    May 14, 2012
    The FIA Foundation-coordinated eSafety Challenge, the annual event to promote life-saving eSafety technologies, has received a €1.6 million contribution from the European Commission to support its campaigning activities. The technologies are crucial for helping drivers make the right decisions in emergency situations and have the potential to save thousands of lives on the roads around the world.
  • Directive on road infrastructure safety management – to improve mobility safely
    September 12, 2018
    Better signs and more compliance leads to safer roads, says Christophe Nicodème, director general of the European Union Road Federation in the first of a regular new series of columns from ERF The Third Mobility Package launched by the European Commission represents the final piece of the “Europe on the Move Agenda” towards a modernisation of transport policy adapting to new decarbonisation and digitisation commitments. The package is composed of elements impacting various transport elements, among which
  • Louis Berger lands safety audit role in four Bihar, India highway build projects
    February 18, 2014
    The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has selected Louis Berger (LB) to serve as safety audit consultant for four national highway construction projects in the eastern state of Bihar. A globally-recognised provider of engineering, development and management support services for public and private clients, LB will perform safety audits during the three-year construction and widening of 366kms of roadway on four national highways. The project team, led by road safety expert Brindabon Samanta, will
  • Europe calls for new road safety target
    September 9, 2015
    The European Parliament has reiterated calls for a pan-European target to cut serious road injuries. In a vote on a review of European transport policy since 2011, MEPs called for, “the swift adoption of a 2020 target of a 40 % reduction in the number of people seriously injured, accompanied by a fully-fledged EU strategy.” Since 2010 the number of people seriously injured on EU roads has been reduced by just 1.6%, compared to an 18% decrease in the number of road deaths. Last year the numbers actually