City Desk :
The World Health Organization has called on countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-29.
“Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and two or three-wheelers constitute 66% of all reported road traffic deaths in our Region,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, in her address at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024) which began in New Delhi on Monday, reports BSS.
She emphasised that their roads and road networks need to be designed prioritising those most at risk: children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians, and other vulnerable groups.
The WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for 330 223 of the 1.19 million estimated global road traffic deaths in 2021, representing 28% of the global burden.
With 70% of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2030, demand for public transport will surge, according to WHO.
The WHO South-East Asia Region, amid rapid urbanisation, faces shared challenges: a high prevalence of motorized two and three-wheelers, inadequate traffic injury data, poor pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, and limited emergency services.