Road crashes killed 1.34 million people worldwide in 2023, with more than 50 million others suffering injuries, according to a new global study highlighting the continuing toll of road deaths.
The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, found that road injuries were the leading cause of death among people aged between 10 and 39.
They were also the second leading cause of death among children aged five to nine, underlining the particular risk faced by young people.
The findings come as Kenya continues to witness deadly road crashes.
At least 21 people were killed in road crashes across the country within 24 hours last weekend, according to reports.
In one of the latest incidents, two students from the Technical University of Mombasa died, and 29 others were injured in a crash in Ahero, Kisumu.
The students were travelling to attend the burial of their student leader, Elvis “Beast” Otieno.
Road deaths hit young people
Road injuries were the 11th leading cause of death globally in 2023 and were responsible for 75.3 million years lived with disability.
More than 90% of road injury deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, the study found.
Although global age-standardised rates of road injury cases and deaths fell between 1990 and 2023, the progress was uneven.
Low-income countries recorded nearly six times the rate of years of life lost to premature death compared with high-income countries.
Young people and men were among those most affected.
For men aged 20 to 24, road injuries accounted for more than one in five deaths. Men also recorded higher rates of road injuries than women across almost every age group.
Motor vehicle crashes caused the largest share of injuries and deaths, with 19.8 million injuries and 518,000 deaths recorded globally in 2023.
Motorcyclists face deadly toll
Pedestrians accounted for nearly one-third of road injury deaths, while motorcyclist injuries made up 13% of cases but almost 24% of deaths.
Motorcyclists also recorded the highest proportion of head injuries, many involving moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries.
Dr Liane Ong, a senior research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said many road deaths could be prevented.
“Road injury outcomes are shaped not only by crashes, but by the systems designed to prevent them and protect people when they occur,” she said.
She called for sustained investment in safer infrastructure, stronger road safety policies and better emergency care.
The global economic cost of road injuries is projected to reach $1.8 trillion between 2015 and 2030.
Researchers said improved trauma care could save more than 200,000 lives every year in low and middle income countries.
The findings point to the need for governments to combine safer roads with stronger enforcement and faster emergency response to reduce the number of people killed or permanently disabled in crashes.
