Road crashes (download pdf)

An unfolding national crisis

The unacceptable

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) predictions, the alarming toll of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes in countries like the Sultanate of Oman will escalate by more than 80%, rising from 7th to the 3rd leading cause of all death and disability by 2020.

Despite the unstinting efforts of the Royal Oman Police (ROP), the lead agency for traffic safety, other government authorities and the private sector to improve standards and infrastructure over the years, an overwhelming car-culture and rapid motorisation in this Arabian Gulf state of 2.4 million ensure that road death and injury continue to spiral.

By the end of 2005, Oman’s road traffic mortality was 28 per 100,000 population and far exceeds the global average of 19 per 100,000. Such a level is unsustainable and threatens, on current trends, to undermine dramatically the immense strides of 35 years of renaissance and development in Oman and gains forecast to GNP resulting from economic diversification.

toll of road death and trauma

According to available ROP statistics, in the first 6 years of this new millennium, some 4500 people have died on Oman’s roads and nearly 55000 have been injured or disabled. The numbers are staggering in a population of 2.4 million and rising.

Behind each statistic is a human tragedy. Injuries in high-speed crashes or roll-overs result in devastating head and spinal injuries leading to permanently blighted lives. For every victim there are dozens of traumatised individuals; families, widows and orphans left to cope in the aftermath of the loss of the family breadwinner and the cost of prolonged medical care for the injured, disabled and often forgotten survivors.

Contrary to popular belief, by far the largest category of individuals killed or injured in crashes are Omani family men between the ages of 26-50, not reckless teenagers. The loss of breadwinners in their most productive years has far-reaching implications for families, widows and orphans left to cope as well as for social funds.

While the carnage on the highway affects most grievously the individuals involved, no one is spared the consequences of this enormous loss of human potential and suffering. Over-burdened hospitals and the tremendous cost of the medical care and rehabilitation for injured victims also exact a high price from society.

For Oman, improving road safety is above all an issue of sustainable development and social equity.

for children, our most vulnerable citizens

According to ROP statistics, in 2005, 689 people died at the scene of car crashes in Oman. This figure does not include those dead on arrival at hospital or who died later from injuries. 42% of the dead were children and young people under 25 years. 122 of those were the most blameless and vulnerable, children under 15, a 50% increase over the previous year. An additional 3225 children and young people were injured, many of them left with lifelong disabilities.

ROP statistics do not differentiate between child passenger and pedestrian deaths but based on data from other countries, half the child casualties are likely to be car passengers. A recent survey shows that most child passengers were travelling unrestrained in a car or in the arms of another passenger.  In a crash, an unrestrained child may be catapulted through the windscreen or thrown from a door or cargo area of pick-ups, hurled around inside the car, or crushed by the person holding him/her. (For effect of low speed impact on a child passenger, watch our film clip.)

Without improved child safety measures, these fatalities can only rise as the young population marry and drive with countless more child passengers unrestrained.

caused by negligence is no accident

(Statistical graphs reproduced courtesy of Petroleum Development Oman, Corporate HSE department. Download complete tables from 1999 to 2004)

We must overcome ignorance and fatalism

A major challenge for Oman is to overcome the perception among both public and policymakers that road crash death and injury is the price that society must pay for development and mobility. In recent years many developed countries have recorded dramatic reductions in road crash death and injury even as their numbers of driver and vehicle rise. The means exist today to reduce significantly the costly and avoidable tragedy of road crashes.  They are by far more cost-effective than funding medical and rehabilitation for road trauma victims (see below under Interventions).

We need to nurture the political will and commitment to act. Political will is borne of public demand. In Oman all sectors of society have a collective responsibility to demand better road safety now in order to prevent the unfolding crisis from developing into a full-blown catastrophe.We can start by adopting road safety impact assessment as the paramount, defining criterion for any new government policy measure from Omanisation to land use planning.

Global epidemic

A public health crisis on a ‘planetary scale’………. 1.2 million dead and 50 million injured every year, 90% of casualties from the developing world…….. 2nd leading cause of death among young people……

Source: WHO, Evidence, Information and Policy, 2000

the costs are enormous

The direct economic costs of global road crash injuries are conservatively estimated at US$ 518 billion, roughly 1-1.5% of the gross national product of low-middle income countries and 2% of GNP of high-income countries. In many countries, traffic-related injuries represent between 30-86% of all admissions to hospital trauma departments and are an enormous tax on the health care system. The human and social costs are incalculable.

Vulnerable road users in low-middle income countries pay most dearly

Road trauma is a leading cause of injury to children worldwide. Children are especially at risk as they are less able than adults to assess danger. Their smaller bodies make it harder to see and be seen and more vulnerable to devastating impact injuries. While many high-income countries have developed successful strategies to reduce child road deaths and injuries dramatically in recent years, child road trauma is experiencing a distressing rise in low-middle income countries such as Oman as motorisation increases.

Road traffic crashes are predictable and preventable

Until now, the scattered nature of road crashes has disguised the magnitude of death and injury caused by road accidents. They are perceived as random events without the shock horror effect of wars or air crashes which kill far less people. Road deaths are called ‘accidents’ over which we have no control, accepted as part of life and viewed as the price to be paid for development and mobility. As such they provoke neither public outrage nor political action. Road crashes are not however inevitable or beyond our control. They are both predictable and preventable. They require political will and deliberate action by government and civil society.

Interventions

High income countries have developed successful interventions to reduce significantly the number and impact of road crashes. These include legislation, enforcement and education related to speed, child restraints, seatbelts, alcohol, helmets and visibility. The World Report recommends improving data collection, safer vehicles, better traffic management and road design and that countries:-

• designate a lead agency in government to coordinate road safety efforts
• assess the problem
• prepare a national strategy
• allocate financial and human resources
• implement interventions
• support international cooperation.

Milestones in road safety

World Health Day, April 7, 2004

In 2004, the annual WHO World Health Day, April 7, was dedicated for the first time to the theme "Road Safety is No Accident;”. Also on April 7, WHO, along with the World Bank, released a study entitled “World report on road traffic injury prevention”. The report may be downloaded from Materials.

Uniited Nations General Assembly Meeting, April 14, 2004

In 2003, spurred by concern at the rising fatalities and trauma injuries caused by road crashes, Oman, through its Ambassador to the United Nations, initiated efforts with a steering committee of stakeholders to put road safety at the top of the United Nations agenda. These efforts resulted in an historic meeting of the UN General Assembly on April 14, 2004 when Oman’s Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs introduced a Resolution cosponsored by over 60 countries designating WHO as the UN focal point on road safety. The Resolution (58/289) was adopted by consensus without requiring a vote.

United Nations Stakeholders Forum, April 15, 2004

This second historic meeting brought together road safety stakeholders from government, NGOs and the private sector to discuss the newly adopted UN resolution, the World report and future initiatives.

Launch of the Global Road Safety Crisis: We Should do Much More, October 1, 2004

This report prepared by the Global Road Safety Steering Committee documenting recent global road safety events at the United Nations was presented to WHO’s director general.

Oman Majlis Addawla Forum, October 9-10, 2004

The 2-day event held in Muscat organised by Oman’s state council discussed the social, economic and health burden of road accidents. The Forum’s recommendations were later presented to the Oman Council of Ministers.

United Nations General Assembly Meeting, October 26, 2005

The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/60/5 (2005)on improving road safety inviting Member States to implement the recommendations of the World report, to participate in the first UN Global Road Safety Week (April 2007) and to recognise the third Sunday in November every year as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

The texts of United Nations resolutions on road safety may be downloaded from the WHO website

For more recent events, see our News page

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