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20/12/2001 - More than 116,000 people died in car crashes last year in the 26 OECD countries for which figures are available - that is 320 deaths a day on average. This represents a 1.6% fall from 1999 levels and continues a modest downward trend over recent years, but the death toll could be halved if successful safety measures adopted in some countries are extended to all OECD member states, the Organisation says.
Measures taken in Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have cut the fatality rate in road crashes to less than 7 per 100,000 of the population, while the average figure for all OECD countries (except Mexico and Slovak Republic) is 12.5 deaths per 100,000.
Strong political commitment and the setting of specific safety targets in relation to speed, alcohol and the wearing of seat-belts form the basis of these successful measures. Improving vehicle safety and the infrastructure around accident 'black spots' have also proved their effectivenes, as have strong penalties for infringements and the use of high technology such as speed and red-light cameras as law enforcement tools. Hard-hitting public awareness campaigns play a crucial role, too. OECD road transport experts point to Britain's significant investment in 'shock' campaigns coupled with more stringent punishments for drink-driving. Between 1979 and 1999, the number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of alcohol-related traffic crashes in Britain dropped by 71%.
On the other hand, the number of people killed in road accidents increased in the Czech Republic (18%) and Korea (59%) over the period 1980-2000. Here, as in some other countries, the increase in car ownership during the 1990s outpaced existing traffic legislation, say experts. However, the OECD figures for Korea show a 4.8% fall in road deaths in 2000 compared with 1999. Greece, Hungary, Japan, Spain and Turkey showed a dramatic upward trend in fatalities of between 25% and 120% from 1980 and 1990. However, three of these countries Hungary, Japan and Spain, then made significant progress in reducing accident fatalities from 1990 to 2000 through the adoption of well-targeted road safety strategies.
During this end-of-year holiday period when the death toll on our roads is often at its highest, speed and alcohol will remain the two main contributors to road fatalities. On average alcohol is a factor in one third of fatal road accidents in OECD countries, while the proportion of deaths due to excessive speed is slightly higher.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact: John White in the OECD's Transport Division
(tel: [33] 1 45 24 95 96).
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