Analysis of Road Traffic Fatality Data for Asia

Abstract

The WHO released a Global Status Report On Road Safety: Time For Action in July 2009. Here we analyse the data reported by Asian countries. The report demonstrates that a few high income countries have unreliable statistics, and on the other hand a few low-income countries are able set up good data collection systems. Therefore, all countries should be able to set up reasonable data reporting systems given the right policies. Overall and road user specific fatality rates do not have a high correlation with country income levels. The reasons for this are not known. In the absence of more reliable data and identification of risk factors for each country, it is not possible to give very specific country based countermeasures for road safety. It would be adequate at present to focus on measures that have international validity and are known not to have negative side-effects.