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

  • Australia’s road safety crisis as crashes increase
    December 22, 2016
    Increases in the numbers of road crashes and road deaths are giving cause for concern in Australia. The gain in the country’s road fatality rate is of note as it comes after a 40 year period in which those killed or seriously injured (KSI) have been reducing. Certain sections of the country’s road network have been identified as being of particular risk to drivers, with moves in hand to improve safety. The Australian Automobile Association has revealed that there were 15,339 crashes in the country that resu
  • Slovakia’s major road safety gain
    June 13, 2014
    Slovakia is having major success in cutting road deaths. A report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) reveals that Slovakia has made the most progress in saving lives since an EU target to halve road deaths by 2020 was set four years ago. Official data shows that 26,025 people died as a result of road crashes in the EU in 2013, while 199,000 were seriously injured. There is concern that the numbers seriously injured in road crashes are not falling at same rate as deaths and there has now been
  • The UK’s road safety levels have stalled
    October 1, 2020
    Improvements in the UK’s road safety levels have stalled.
  • French road safety issues
    August 10, 2020
    French road safety issues are still a cause for concern.