Skip to main content

Traffic accidents ‘number one worldwide cause of death among the young’

A new study released by the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) found that traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for youths, regardless of a country’s economic well-being. Thirty-one percent of all traffic-related deaths in the world are youth and young adults aged between 15 and 29 years. This translates to more than 400,000 lives lost per year, which exceeds youth deaths caused by diseases, drug use, suicide, violence or war-related events. Whether a traffic-related death of a youth occurs i
October 31, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
A new study released by the 6027 Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) found that traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for youths, regardless of a country’s economic well-being. Thirty-one percent of all traffic-related deaths in the world are youth and young adults aged between 15 and 29 years. This translates to more than 400,000 lives lost per year, which exceeds youth deaths caused by diseases, drug use, suicide, violence or war-related events.

Whether a traffic-related death of a youth occurs in a low-, middle- or high-income country plays an insignificant role. According to AZT, youth traffic deaths vary only slightly between 31.5 per cent in low-income countries, 32.0 per cent in middle-income countries and 28.5 per cent in high-income countries.

Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die due to traffic accidents, and more than 50 million are injured, making road safety a major global issue. Per 100,000 inhabitants, 18 lose their lives in traffic accidents. This places traffic-related deaths eighth on the list of leading causes of death, according to the latest Global Status Report on Road Safety from the 1819 World Health Organisation (WHO). Recent developments, however, suggest that it will become the world's fifth-leading cause of death in 2030 if no appropriate countermeasures against traffic accidents are taken.

Germany is in the top five for lowest death rates in EU, with a road death rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. That places Germany fifth among the 28 EU member states in deaths resulting from traffic accidents. Sweden has the lowest rate in the EU with 3.0 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, while Greece has the highest at 12.2 deaths. The highest death rates globally are found in the Dominican Republic (41.7), Thailand (38.1) and Venezuela (37.2). In the United States, the death rate is 11.4.

The AZT takes such numbers and forecasts seriously in its efforts to further road safety measures.

“For more than 40 years, AZT has taken an active role in the development of traffic safety, and through research and prevention campaigns aims to make roads safer for all,” says Christoph Lauterwasser, director of the AZT. “Whether we are dealing with distracted driving, pedestrian and cyclist safety, the safety issues and standards surrounding assistant driving systems and automated driving, or how to properly secure cargo in the car, AZT experts have always made important contributions to the automotive industry, traffic regulations and all other aspects of traffic safety.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Swarco sets up live-lane running on Germany's A8
    March 7, 2023
    System spans 2.8km along hard shoulder of motorway between Karlsruhe and Karlsbad
  • Ertico kicks off Compass4D project
    January 22, 2013
    Compass3D, the latest EU project, aims to prove the social and environmental benefits of cooperative systems by deploying services for road users, including drivers of buses, emergency vehicles, trucks, taxis, electric vehicles and private cars, to increase road safety and energy efficiency, while reducing the level of congestion in road transport. With a total budget of more than US$13 million, this new pilot project will involve 574 users and 334 vehicles in the deployment of co-operative ITS (C-ITS) in s
  • Government traffic statistics ‘highlight a growing issue in the UK’
    August 12, 2016
    The UK Department for Transport has issued its provisional estimates of road traffic in Great Britain for the year ending June 2016 by vehicle type and road class. These show that motor vehicle traffic was at a record high with 319.3 billion vehicle miles travelled, at 1.5 per cent higher than the previous year and 1.6 per cent higher than September 2007). Rolling annual motor vehicle traffic has now increased each quarter in succession for three years. Compared to the previous year, all road class
  • First among equals
    May 21, 2012
    Dr Peter Sweatman, Director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and the new chairman of ITS America, has no doubt where safety stands in the ITS world What do you hope to achieve in your term as chairman of ITS America? I really want to advance the agenda of safe and sustainable transportation because ITS really is the only weapon that can advance that. We have been working on connected vehicles for safety for a number of years, putting all of the right elements in place,