So what causes the most deaths of Americans visiting abroad? Crime? Terrorism? Disease?
Forget it. It’s automobile accidents.
Corporate employers, including energy giant Chevron, are teaming with safety advocates to combat what they view as a rapidly worsening epidemic of highway deaths and injuries, particularly in developing countries, says USAToday.
“The road-safety problem worldwide for travelers and locals constitutes a growing public health crisis,” said Tony Bliss, lead road safety specialist for the World Bank. He says it’s “a far greater problem than many more widely acknowledged diseases.”
Much of the growth in motor vehicle usage is in developing countries, where roads are sub-standard, signage deficient, traffic regulations lax and enforcement spotty. Travelers can be particularly vulnerable because of their lack of familiarity with surroundings and with local customs.
The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimated in a 2004 joint report that 1.2 million people are killed each year in traffic crashes, and 20 million to 50 million are injured or disabled. About 85% of the deaths are in low- and middle-income countries.
Over the 30-year period ending in 2020, the report predicts an 80% increase in fatalities in low- and middle-income countries vs. a 30% decline in high-income countries, including the USA.
Report by David Wilkening
