PAHO Urges Stronger National Road Safety Policies

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has highlighted the need for stronger and more comprehensive road safety policies after a new report revealed over 145,000 road deaths in the Americas in 2021.

According to the PAHO report, the figure accounted for 12% of global traffic accident deaths.

“Despite some progress, the rate of reduction in road fatalities has been slow,” a PAHO release observed.

The release observed that the report, “Saving lives by promoting a safe road systems approach in the Americas,” is based on the most recent data available, collected from 31 countries and one territory in the region.

The study noted that the traffic mortality rate in the Americas decreased by 9.37% between 2010 and 2021, reflecting slow progress, with only nine countries managing to reduce deaths.

It revealed that at the subregional level, North America and the Caribbean have seen an increase in mortality rates.

In contrast, the Southern Cone and the Andean Zone have achieved significant reductions.

“Road safety remains a major public health challenge in the region,” Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, said.

“Despite efforts made, the figures are still unacceptable. Road safety is not just an issue of infrastructure or legislation, it is a matter of life or death for millions. It is crucial that countries implement comprehensive measures to protect all road users, especially the most vulnerable,” Barbosa stated.

PAHO disclosed that predominantly male (79%) and young adults between the ages of 18 and 44 (54%) are victims of fatal road accidents

However, the organisation explained that the impact is not limited to deaths.

In 2021, more than 4 million people suffered non-fatal injuries in the region, 638,620 of them severe and with permanent consequences.

In Saint Lucia, local authorities, including Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, have expressed alarm regarding a sharp uptick in road accidents, blaming speed and a failure to accept personal responsibility.

On Wednesday, the Island’s Department of Road Safety and Traffic Investigations announced that it had launched investigations into one hundred and twenty vehicular collisions for the month of

January 2025, inclusive of one fatal accident along the Julian R Hunte Highway.

“In some of the recorded cases, driver error is identified as the cause, in addition to mechanical failures due to poor maintenance,” Assistant Superintendent Charlotte Thomas observed.

Nevertheless, Thomas declared that exercising due care and attention will prevent the senseless loss of life, damage to property, and overall inconvenience to the general public.