Myanmar’s growing road safety problem

Myanmar has a growing road safety problem, an issue becoming apparent as its economy gradually improves. The gain in prosperity in the country has seen a growth in vehicle numbers from 4 million in 2013 to 6 million in 2016. Small capacity motorcycles are becoming particularly popular, as in many of Myanmar’s neighbouring Asian nations. There were 17,834 reported vehicle crashes in Myanmar during 2016, 8,641 of which involved motorcycles. There were 4,887 road deaths in 2016, of which 2,093 were motorcyclis
May 12, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Myanmar has a growing road safety problem, an issue becoming apparent as its economy gradually improves. The gain in prosperity in the country has seen a growth in vehicle numbers from 4 million in 2013 to 6 million in 2016. Small capacity motorcycles are becoming particularly popular, as in many of Myanmar’s neighbouring Asian nations. There were 17,834 reported vehicle crashes in Myanmar during 2016, 8,641 of which involved motorcycles. There were 4,887 road deaths in 2016, of which 2,093 were motorcyclists. Of the country’s traffic fatalities, 48% were riding motorcycles.


But following on from the road safety lead in Asia being set by Vietnam, Myanmar is now looking to increase use of helmets amongst motorcyclists. Since Vietnam made helmet use mandatory for motorcycle riders, there has been a corresponding drop in the overall road fatality rate, showing how basic safety measures can have significant benefits. Myanmar’s National Road Safety Council is asking the Commerce Ministry to require two helmets to be sold with every new motorcycle.

Related Content

  • Malaysia’s road safety problem needs addressing
    February 2, 2017
    Malaysia’s road safety problem is a cause for concern. The country’s Transport Ministry has revealed data showing that in 2016, Malaysia figured amongst the countries with the highest rate of road fatalities. The figures show that for every 10,000 registered motor vehicles on Malaysia’s roads, there were 2.55 deaths. One new strategy intended to address the problem being launched by the Transport Ministry is the Malaysia-wide National Blue Ocean Strategy Road Safety Cluster. Meanwhile the Safe Kids Mala
    Read More
  • Concern at high rate of crashes in Asia
    July 5, 2017
    There is concern at the high rate of road crashes across Asia. An increase in vehicle ownership has seen congestion grow in many Asian cities.
    Read More
  • The global road safety crisis needs to be addressed
    October 12, 2017
    The global road casualty rate continues to climb as motorisation levels grow and is particularly acute in the developing world. Developing countries suffer from a particularly high rate of crashes and around 90% of road fatalities. The impact, both in economic and human terms, is unsustainable. These countries cannot afford the loss to their economies of the young and economically active.
    Read More
  • The global road safety crisis needs to be addressed
    October 12, 2017
    The global road casualty rate continues to climb as motorisation levels grow and is particularly acute in the developing world. Developing countries suffer from a particularly high rate of crashes and around 90% of road fatalities. The impact, both in economic and human terms, is unsustainable. These countries cannot afford the loss to their economies of the young and economically active.
    Read More

Highlighted Content