Many Pennsylvania motorists are concerned about the threat posed by traffic accidents, and those concerns are echoed by leading global public health officials. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death around the world for children and young people between the ages of 5 and 29. Across all age ranges, vehicle accidents are the world’s eighth most common cause of death, now ahead of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The WHO reported that traffic deaths rose to 1.35 million in 2016 as part of its 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety.
The United Nations previously urged a goal of cutting traffic fatalities in half between 2016 and 2020. However, the WHO’s report warned that this achievement was unlikely. The organization urged global lawmakers to treat the issue of roadway safety as one with serious implications for public health. While the number of annual deaths related to traffic accidents has escalated, the death rate has remained stable in terms of the world population. There have been around 18 car crash deaths per 100,000 people for the past 15 years.
There is a global disparity in how traffic accidents affect different countries. While low-income countries only have 1 percent of the world’s motor vehicles, they are home to 13 percent of traffic-related deaths. People in low-income countries are three times more likely to die in a roadway crash.
Car accidents can cause severe injuries and permanent disabilities even when they are not fatal. On many occasions, collisions are caused by dangerous or negligent driving. A personal injury lawyer could help an accident victim pursue compensation for their damages after a crash.