Road traffic injuries kill nearly 1.24 million people annuallyCairo, 14 March 2013 – The recently published Global status report on road safety reveals that road traffic crashes globally and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region remain a major public health concern. Despite some progress made in a number of countries, road traffic crashes continue to claim 1.24 million lives worldwide every year.

The report presents data from 182 countries across the world, including 19 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Region is responsible for 10% of the world’s road traffic deaths with a fatality rate of 21.3 per 100 000 population, compared to a global rate of 18.03 per 100 000. The Region has the second highest rate after the African Region at 24.1 per 100 000.

Other findings warrant concern. Some countries of the Region have the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world, including the high-income countries whose fatality rates are 21.7 per 100 000 population; more than double the global rate for high-income countries at 8.7 per 100 000.