Skip to main content

Myanmar road safety concern

Concern is being expressed at the rapid rise in road deaths in Myanmar. The road fatality rate has increased substantially in recent years, as has the number of vehicles on the country’s road network. In the period from 2009-2014, the number of registered vehicles in Myanmar more than doubled. And in 2014 the World Health Organisation highlighted its concern that Myanmar’s road death rate had more than tripled in less than 10 years. According to official data, Myanmar had over 15,000 road crashes, 25,000
April 7, 2016 Read time: 1 min
Concern is being expressed at the rapid rise in road deaths in Myanmar. The road fatality rate has increased substantially in recent years, as has the number of vehicles on the country’s road network. In the period from 2009-2014, the number of registered vehicles in Myanmar more than doubled. And in 2014 the World Health Organisation highlighted its concern that Myanmar’s road death rate had more than tripled in less than 10 years.

According to official data, Myanmar had over 15,000 road crashes, 25,000 injuries and 4,000 road deaths in 2015. Rangoon, Mandalay, Pegu and Irrawaddy had the highest casualty rates. Key safety issues include a widespread failure to use helmets while riding motorcycles or seatbelts when in cars. Driving under the influence, using cellphones at the wheel and speeding are also known to be major causes of crashes in the country.

Related Content

  • Vulnerable road users face greater risks on Europe’s road network
    May 21, 2014
    Data shows that vulnerable road users are benefiting less from improved road safety. This has been revealed in the 2014 Road Safety Annual Report, which highlights latest road safety data. The number of road fatalities fell by 1.7% between 2011 and 2012 in the 31 countries covered by the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD), according to the International Transport Forum at the OECD. However, road safety policies are not succeeding in improving protection for vulnerable road users. The l
  • Jamaica’s road safety improvement
    December 4, 2017
    Jamaica is seeing an improvement in road safety, with a reduction in casualty levels. So far in 2017, overall road deaths have been 49 less than in the same period during 2016. The road death toll at the end of 2017 is hoped to be significantly lower than in 2016, itself an improvement over the previous year. During 2016 there were 379 road deaths in Jamaica, compared with 382 in 2015.
  • Thailand’s major road safety problem
    October 23, 2015
    Thailand has a serious problem with regard to road safety, which needs to be addressed. This is leading to a high number of deaths and serious injuries, with a draining effect on the country’s economy as well as carrying a social impact. The 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that Thailand has the second-highest road-fatality figures globally. There were 14,059 people killed in road crashes in Thailand in 2012, with the country having a death rate
  • UK road safety gain during pandemic
    October 14, 2021
    The UK has seen a road safety gain during the pandemic.