Global Road Safety

Global road safety

Roads are shared by cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, pedestrians, animals, taxis, and other travelers throughout the world. Travel made possible by motor vehicles supports economic and social development in many countries. Yet in 2021, these vehicles were involved in crashes responsible for 1.19 million deaths.1 Fatal and nonfatal crash injuries are estimated to cost the world economy approximately $3.6 trillion (in USD) annually.2

Road traffic crashes are the world's leading cause of death for children and young adults 5–29 years of age.1

Know the risks and take steps to protect your health and safety whether you are on the road at home or abroad.

Tips for road safety at home and abroad

• Always use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short and no matter if you are in the front or back seat of a vehicle.
• Make sure children are always properly buckled in the back seat in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt that is appropriate for their age, height, and weight.
• Always wear a helmet when driving or riding on motorcycles, motorbikes, bicycles, e-bikes, or e-scooters.
• Do not drive while impaired by alcohol and/or any other substance that can impair your ability to drive - including marijuana, other illicit drugs, prescription medications, or over-the-counter medications. Also, do not ride with a driver who is impaired by alcohol and/or any substances.
• Obey speed limits. Speeding is a leading risk factor for crashes, and high speeds increase the likelihood of severe injury or death when a crash occurs.
• Drive without distractions. For example, don't use a cell phone or text while driving.
• Be alert when crossing streets, especially in countries where motorists drive on the left side of the road. Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections.
• Ride only in marked/official taxis or ride share vehicles. Try to ride in taxis or ride share vehicles that have seat belts available in all seating positions.
• Avoid riding in overcrowded, overweight, or top-heavy buses or minivans.
• Access more information about road safety, overall safety, and security in every country of the world by visiting country information pages on the U.S. Department of State website. Also, review the CDC Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travelers chapters about Injury & Trauma and Road & Traffic Safety when traveling abroad.
• Review in-depth profiles about road traffic safety by country in the Global Status Report on Road Safety.
• Consider participating in World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which occurs every year on the third Sunday in November. It honors the millions of people who are killed and injured in crashes every year, as well as emergency responders who treat road traffic victims.

The Safe System approach

The Safe System approach is a holistic approach to road safety, recognized internationally as best practice for road safety, that works to protect all road users, acknowledges that humans make mistakes, and accounts for human vulnerability. It emphasizes that road systems should be built in a way to reduce human error and protect people from death and severe injury when they make mistakes3. The Safe System approach also reiterates that road safety is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders and that proactive approaches can be taken to improve road safety.

Safe System core elements include safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care. A few examples of implementing Safe System principles include creating separate spaces for cars and pedestrians, reducing speeds, engineering roads to facilitate safe driving, and safer vehicles that incorporate technology to reduce the occurrence and severity of crashes.

Some countries such as Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and Sweden have embraced and implemented the Safe System approach for many years and have had success in reducing road traffic deaths and injuries4. The international Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) emphasizes the Safe System approach and sets the international goal of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

Resources

CDC Feature Publication: Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths

Naumann RB, West BA, Barry V, Matthews S, Lee R. Pedestrian and Overall Road Traffic Crash Deaths - United States and 27 Other High-Income Countries, 2013-2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025; XX:XXX-XX.

Global Status Report on Road Safety

Each year, 1.19 million people die on the world's roads. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children and young adults ages 5–29 years. Read the Global Status Report on Road Safety for more information on global road traffic injury burden and trends.

Traffic Conflict Techniques for Evaluating Road Safety Interventions

The Traffic Conflict Technique (TCT) Toolkit is a comprehensive guide that describes five different methods to evaluate the impact of a road safety intervention by collecting and analyzing traffic conflict data. A traffic conflict occurs when two or more road users are at risk of colliding if their movements do not change. The TCT Toolkit focuses on pedestrian-vehicle traffic conflicts in and around school zones in low- and middle-income countries. Download the TCT Toolkit to learn more about how to improve road safety in school zones.

The toolkit was piloted in three school zones in low- and middle-income countries (Ghana, Vietnam, and Mexico) to collect data and analyze pedestrian-vehicle traffic conflicts prior to and after implementation of road safety interventions. Results showed there was a decrease in road traffic conflicts from before implementation to after implementation in each of the three countries, providing evidence that the road safety interventions were effective. TCTs are relatively low cost, simple, and can help decisionmakers evaluate and prioritize strategies for improving road safety with real-world data. Read the full article on the Traffic Conflict Technique (TCT) Toolkit pilot.