Publications
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Post-Crash Health Care
Beyond the Numbers: Estimating the Disability Burden of Road Traffic Injuries
November 2023
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- international literature and good practices on motorcycle safety;
- assessment of motorcycle crashes, regulations, risk exposure data, risk indicators in African countries (with more detailed analysis of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Uganda); and
- consultations with stakeholders.
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Road Infrastructure
Practical Guide for Road Safety Auditors and Inspectors in Ukraine (Ukrainian)
July 2022
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a critical public health issue in Jordan, as highlighted in the 2022 Annual Report of Traffic Accidents from the Jordan Public Security Directorate. With 169,409 crashes recorded in 2022, resulting in 562 deaths and 11,510 injuries, RTIs have emerged as the leading cause of death for children and young people, and the second-leading cause for adults aged 20–64.
This analytical research study aims to understand RTI-induced disabilities in Jordan, identify contributing factors, and assess the associated costs for road traffic crash victims. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research included quantitative and qualitative data collection through hospital-based surveillance and follow-up surveys at one- and three months post-injury. The study involved six public and private hospitals across Jordan. Key informant interviews with stakeholders from various sectors were conducted to gain comprehensive insights.
The study's findings reveal that most RTI patients were male (79%) with an average age of 34 years. Crashes predominantly occurred during early mornings and night hours, involving mainly cars (72%) and motorcycles/bicycles (40%). A significant number of patients (74%) received prehospital care, primarily from ambulance staff. Most patients (66%) were fully conscious upon arrival at the emergency room.
Injury analysis showed that 58% of patients had a single injury, with extremities being the most affected area. Financially, 49% of patients incurred immediate costs upon hospital admission, and follow-up care also resulted in out-of-pocket expenses, particularly for physiotherapy and medications.
The study indicated that 79% of patients experienced some disability at the one-month follow-up, with varying degrees from mild to extreme. By the third month, 73% reported no disability, though 26% continued to experience mild impairments.
This study underscores the significant burden of RTIs and associated disabilities in Jordan, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to reduce injuries and robust long-term care to support affected individuals.
It is well-documented that road crashes claim around 1.35 million lives each year and rank as the eighth leading cause of death globally, causing huge burdens for economies, health systems, and transport networks. However, beneath the sobering fatality statistics lies a largely unexplored landscape: the staggering toll of disabilities induced by road crashes. Until now, the focus of road safety research and policy discourse has predominantly revolved around fatalities, which has limited our understanding of traffic-related injuries and disability burdens at the individual, community, and national level.
To address this critical knowledge gap, this pioneering study—involving over 2,300 patients hospitalized for road crash injuries—provides valuable insights into the prevalence, causes, and long-term impacts of crash-related disabilities. By broadening the discussion beyond fatalities to the often-overlooked issue of disability, the report paves the way for a more holistic perspective on road safety impacts, which can inform more effective road safety policies.
This report is a call to action for comprehensive and context-specific interventions that encompass both the transport and health sectors. Effective measures may include implementing safety regulations, enhancing emergency services, strengthening rehabilitative care, and expanding social safety nets to ease the financial burden on crash survivors. Collaborative efforts between governments, global and regional organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders will be indispensable.
In developing countries with inadequate public transport and road infrastructure, motorcycles present a fast, cheap, and efficient transport alternative. Motorcycles are widely used in many African countries for personal and public transport, as well as for service delivery. In some African countries, motorized two and three-wheelers constitute the largest proportion of the motorized vehicle population. However, despite their benefits, motorcycles expose their riders and passengers to a high risk of serious injury or death in the event of crashes. Motorcycle safety is therefore a significant problem in Africa. On average, 22.5% of road traffic deaths in 2016 involved riders/passengers of two- and three-wheelers, according to the last data published by World Health Organization (WHO, 2018).
This research study presents comprehensive strategic recommendations on how to improve motorcycle safety in Africa. The study will serve as policy advice and technical assistance to the Bank’s regional member countries (RMCs). The study focuses on motorcycle safety conditions in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and Uganda, where the use of motorcycles for daily activities is reputedly high. Recommendations are predicated on an examination of the major causes of motorcycle crashes and injuries, as well as an extensive body of knowledge from various sources, notably:
After almost two decades of experience with Road Safety Audit (RSA) Worldwide, this procedure is now recognized as one of the most efficient engineering tools. RSA is a highly efficient and cost-effective engineering tool for improvement of safety on roads. It is much cheaper to identify road safety deficiencies in the process of design than later after construction is completed. RSAs are among the most cost-effective investments a Road Authority can undertake.
With its EU Directive No. 2008/96 and amendment 2019/1936 on road infrastructure safety management, the European Union (EU) made a clear decision that RSA will be mandatory for the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) and main roads. This Directive contains another tool called Road Safety Inspection (RSI) on safety deficiencies of existing roads. The RSI is very similar to the process of Road Safety Audit in the pre-opening phase of newly constructed roads. RSIs are essential for the redesign and upgrading of existing roads, and these are done in many countries to give the designers insights and direction for safety improvements. Given that, the purpose of this practical guide is to provide practical guidance to those doing RSAs and RSIs, the examples of typical design deficiencies shown should be useful to both road safety inspectors and road safety auditors.
This document draws on the more comprehensive guidelines and manuals on Safety engineering mentioned in the acknowledgements but deliberately focuses only on these issues of direct relevance to road safety auditors/inspectors and to the road safety reports that they must prepare, including of recommendations for improvements.
This is a special edition of the guide, adapted for Ukraine road safety conditions and legislation, funded by the World Bank‘s Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
Після майже двох десятиліть досвіду проведення аудиту безпеки дорожнього руху (RSA) у всьому світі ця процедура визнана одним із найефективніших інженерних інструментів. RSA є високоефективним і економічно вигідним інженерним інструментом для підвищення безпеки на дорогах. Набагато дешевше виявити недоліки безпеки дорожнього руху в процесі проектування, ніж пізніше після завершення будівництва. RSA є одними з найбільш рентабельних інвестицій, які може здійснити дорожнє управління.
У своїй Директиві ЄС № 2008/96 і поправці 2019/1936 щодо управління безпекою дорожньої інфраструктури Європейський Союз (ЄС) прийняв чітке рішення про те, що RSA буде обов’язковим для Транс’європейської мережі доріг (TERN) і магістральних доріг. Ця Директива містить інший інструмент під назвою «Інспекція безпеки дорожнього руху» (RSI) щодо недоліків безпеки існуючих доріг. RSI дуже схожий на процес аудиту безпеки дорожнього руху на етапі перед відкриттям новозбудованих доріг. RSI мають важливе значення для редизайну та модернізації існуючих доріг, і вони проводяться в багатьох країнах, щоб дати проектувальникам зрозуміти та вказати напрямки для покращення безпеки. Враховуючи те, що метою цього практичного посібника є надання практичних вказівок тим, хто проводить RSA та RSI, наведені приклади типових недоліків конструкції мають бути корисними як інспекторам безпеки дорожнього руху, так і аудиторам безпеки дорожнього руху.
Цей документ спирається на більш вичерпні рекомендації та посібники з техніки безпеки, згадані у подяках, але навмисно зосереджується лише на тих питаннях, які мають безпосереднє відношення до аудиторів/інспекторів з безпеки дорожнього руху та до звітів з безпеки дорожнього руху, які вони повинні підготувати, включаючи рекомендації щодо покращення.
Це спеціальне видання посібника, адаптованого до умов безпеки дорожнього руху та законодавства в Україні, фінансованого Глобальним фондом безпеки дорожнього руху (GRSF) Світового банку в рамках Ініціативи Bloomberg Philanthropies for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).