Human Impact of Global Road Crash Injury Unveiled

18 February 2020

Story from iRAP Communications.

The tragic face and true extent of life-changing road crash injuries incurred every single day has been revealed for the first time in an iRAP Vaccines for Roads V road safety resource released in Stockholm.

Every day, 56 people are left quadriplegic, 161 are rendered amputees, 914 are ‘degloved’, 932 suffer severe acquired brain injuries and 20,865 suffer limb fractures. In total 102,835 predominately young people suffer life changing injuries or death. USD$6 billion of new costs are added to health, insurance and welfare costs, every, single, day.

iRAP’s Big Data Tool, vaccinesforroads.org, shines a light on the true human impact of road trauma with estimates of the actual injury types and real victim impact stories. The resource unlocks the potential of the world’s largest road infrastructure safety database to explore how safe the world’s roads are and provide the Business Case for 3-star or better roads for all road users worldwide.

Speaking from the Launch, iRAP Chief Executive Officer Rob McInerney said, “For the first time, the often hidden and equally tragic consequences of road crash injury are revealed. If we can shine a light on the true personal impact of road crash injury, the type of those injuries and the financial burden placed on health systems around the world we will finally respond with the scale and urgency needed. With knowledge of the impact, the current condition of the world’s roads; the Business Case for Safer Roads and case studies of success, we have the moral imperative, the policy setting, funding mechanism and recipe for scale.”

Download the Vaccines for Roads brochure here.