Latin America, Caribbean, road safety concern

There is concern over road safety for Latin America and the Caribbean.
By MJ Woof September 12, 2024 Read time: 1 min
Latin America and the Caribbean nations need to address road safety to cut the annual death toll, with Mexico City being one of the key cities with a particularly poor record for road safety - image courtesy of © Dreamshot| Dreamstime.com

Poor road safety is a major concern for many of the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. Data from the United Nations shows the scale of the problem. Annual road deaths for Latin America and the Caribbean countries total over 110,000. In addition, more than 5,000,000,000 people suffer injuries arising from road crashes.  

The United Nations introduced a target of halving road deaths between 2020 and 2030. But the Caribbean and Latin American nations have fallen behind schedule in achieving this target. More work is needed to boost road safety, cutting road deaths and injuries.

Driving under the influence (DUI) of drink or drugs and speeding are the key causes of crashes for Latin America and the Caribbean. Distracted driving is another major issue. 

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is a registered charity dedicated to preventing the more than 3,500 road deaths that occur every day worldwide. And according data from iRAP, global road death and injuries cost US$3.6 trillion annually, equivalent to more than 3% of global GDP.

Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Brazil’s roads most dangerous in South America?
    November 24, 2016
    Brazil has South America’s most dangerous roads. That is the key finding from research carried out by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). Its study shows that the country’s road death rate is a major cause for concern, accounting for over 40,000 fatalities in 2013 for example. With the country’s population estimated at over 200 million in 2013, this suggests a fatality rate of 20/100,000 of population. The research shows that speeding, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, non-use of seatb
    Read More
  • Joining forces on safety'
    April 12, 2012
    The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) welcomed the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, saying it will enable the European Union to join forces in tackling road safety at a global level. The UN move aims to reduce by 50% the projected increase in road deaths by 2020, and was developed with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which predicts that road traffic injuries will rise to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030 in the world. It demanded action to correct t
    Read More
  • UK ‘pauses’ smart motorway rollout
    January 12, 2022
    New All Lane Running smart motorway schemes halted until five years of safety data is available.
    Read More
  • Tunisia’s dangerous roads see more deaths
    November 3, 2023
    Tunisia’s dangerous roads are seeing more deaths.
    Read More

Highlighted Content