The Telegraph
Car crashes down, but fatality rates up: Covid-19’s paradoxical impact on road safety
There have been fewer highway accidents as folks stayed at residence through the pandemic, however rising proof from some international locations suggests the accidents which did occur have been extra lethal because the automobiles have been travelling quicker, based on the World Well being Group (WHO). Velocity has a significant impression on the deadliness of automotive accidents: estimates counsel that for each extra 1km per hour in velocity, there’s a 4-5 per cent improve in deadly crashes. For pedestrians, there’s a 99 per cent probability of surviving a automobile hitting them at 30km/h (20 miles per hour), however that falls to 80 per cent when the velocity rises to 50 km/h (31mph). Launching a marketing campaign for extra streets the place folks reside, stroll and play to have a 30km/h (20mph) velocity restrict, as a part of efforts to “construct again higher” post-pandemic, the WHO mentioned the proof recommended that highway deaths had remained at a better degree than anticipated contemplating the decline in site visitors volumes throughout lockdowns. “Resulting from lockdowns, and folks working from residence, mobility decreased within the pandemic. This has led to fewer highway crashes,” mentioned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, at the start of UN Highway Security Week (17-23 Might). “General, nonetheless, as a result of folks typically drive at greater speeds when there may be much less site visitors, the variety of deaths didn’t lower…to the identical diploma.” The figures come largely from high-income international locations, however round 90 per cent of the 1.35 million folks killed on the roads yearly are in low and middle-income international locations. Nevertheless, Nhan Tran, head of security and mobility on the WHO, instructed The Telegraph that issues have been most likely related in locations the place there was little information. “We’re not in a position to verify the extent to which this has occurred [in countries with less data], however we suspect it’s undoubtedly occurring,” he mentioned.
