2023-05-17 04:00:03
- Globally each year approximately 1.3 million lives are lost as a result of road traffic injuries.
- In Mexico, they went from 16,039 to 13,630 between 2015 and 2020.
- Comprehensive legislation, Regulatory Centers for Medical Emergencies, road audits and breathalyzer operations contributed to this reduction.
Traffic accidents are much more common than many think. They happen every day and their consequences can be of various kinds. Sometimes they only generate emotional damage but in others they can be deadly. For this reason, measures such as the use of a seat belt when driving are essential because they can be the difference between life and death.
With this in mind, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) each year approximately 1.3 million lives are lost as a result of these injuries. In addition, between 20 and 50 million people sustain non-fatal injuries, many of which result in disability.
Current national panorama
Favorable news is that in Mexico deaths from road accidents decreased between 2015 and 2020, going from 16,039 to 13,630, says the Report on the situation of road safety in Mexico 2021coordinated by the Technical Secretariat of the National Council for Accident Prevention (STConapra) of the Ministry of Health.
About the United Nations Seventh World Road Safety Week, which runs from May 15 to 21, the document details that pedestrians are the ones who concentrate the highest number of deaths, with 2,536 fatal collisions, followed by vehicle occupants, 1,981; motorcyclists, 1,982; cyclists, 111 and others. While 6,993 of the deaths the type of user is unknown.
The reduction is due to various actions implemented by State secretariats, state and municipal governments, public institutions, as well as initiatives by civil society organizations.
Why have traffic accidents been reduced?
The measures include: road safety audits, measurement of risk factors, promotion of comprehensive legislation, communication campaigns, awareness talks, installation of Regulatory Centers for Medical Emergencies (CRUM), training of first responders and breathalyzer operations.
Data from the Pan American and World Health Organizations (PAHO/WHO) show that injuries caused by traffic accidents are the main cause of mortality among children and youth between the ages of five and 29, and one in four deaths for this cause it was in pedestrians and cyclists.
This year’s edition of the UN World Road Safety Week focuses on rethinking mobility, by promoting travel on foot, by bicycle and on public transport, in order to promote equity and health for people.
For which, the Ministry of Health, through the STConapra, trains road safety auditors to redesign the streets, prioritizing the displacement of people and vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, girls, boys, adolescents, people with disabilities and people who use public transport.
Also, during the days of the Seventh World Road Safety Week of the United Nations, from May 15 to 21, the old building of the Ministry of Health will be illuminated with the colors of the logo of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. In this period, it is expected to reduce deaths caused by traffic by 50 percent, in line with goal 3.6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Also read:
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