Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Small-scale hazards: The case of road traffic accidents
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resources for education, can drive families into poverty (see
Box 9.1). Such high economic impact at the household level
is explained by most road fatalities and injuries being among
young men, the most economically active social group in
these societies. In Kenya, for example, more than 75 per
cent of road traffic casualties are among economically
productive young adults. 18 The impact of accidents is likely
to be especially magnified in those societies where there is
limited or no state support for medical treatment or social
security for those who are unable to work as a result of
disability following an accident. The psychological and financial
burden of caring for a previously economically active
family member who has been disabled through an accident
can be even more destabilizing for the household economy.
The second leading cause of orphaned children in Mexico is
the loss of parents as a result of road traffic accidents. 19
VULNERABILITY AND
CAUSES OF ROAD TRAFFIC
ACCIDENTS
Road traffic accidents result from a combination of structural,
physical and behavioural factors (see Box 9.2). While
the exposure of road users to traffic accidents is shaped by
physical aspects of the road environment, individual behaviour,
awareness of safety regulations and travel habits also
determine vulnerability to traffic accident risks. In addition,
the safety and design features of vehicles shape the likelihood
of being involved in a traffic accident, as well as the
severity of the impact.
World region Regional GNP Estimated annual accident costs
GNP (percentage) Cost (US$ billion)
Africa 370 1.0 3.7
Asia 2454 1.0 24.5
Latin America and the Caribbean 1890 1.0 18.9
Middle East 495 1.5 7.4
Central and Eastern Europe 659 1.5 9.9
Highly motorized countries 22,665 2.0 453.0
Total 517.8
Vulnerability to injury and death from traffic
accidents also varies according to the mode of transportation
used. In societies with high levels of motorization, vehicle
users are most vulnerable to accidents (see Figure 9.1). In
middle- and low-income countries, vulnerability is highest
for unprotected road users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
For instance, causalities are highest among
two-wheel vehicle users in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
(see Figure 9.1). This is not surprising given the dominance
of two- and three-wheeled vehicles in the region, accounting
for well over 70 per cent of vehicles in countries such as
Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
and Viet Nam. 20
In Kenya, between 1971 and 1990, pedestrians represented
42 per cent of all traffic accident fatalities, and
pedestrians and passengers combined accounted for approximately
80 per cent of all fatalities each year. 21 In Nairobi
(Kenya), between 1977 and 1994, 64 per cent of road users
killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians. 22 In Beijing
(China), about one third of all traffic deaths occur among
bicyclists. 23
Table 9.3
Economic costs of
traffic accidents by
world region, 1997
Source: Jacobs et al, 1999
Box 9.1 The impact of traffic accidents on the urban poor in Bangladesh and India
A study of the differentiated impacts of road traffic accidents on households in Bangladesh and India clearly illustrates the association between traffic accidents and urban
poverty. While the poor were not necessarily at greater risk of death or injury from traffic accidents, many urban households became poor following the death or injury of
a member.
Breadwinners were most at risk in urban Bangladesh, where income from the urban poor killed by traffic accidents amounted, on average, to 62 per cent of their
household’s total income. Likewise, Bangalore (India), poor households suffered disproportionately given that those killed by traffic accidents contributed 59 per cent of the
household income.
Road crashes imposed a double financial burden on poor households. At the same time that they faced unexpected medical, if not funeral, costs, they also lost the
income of the victim and/or carer. Urban poor households in Bangladesh paid the equivalent of almost three months’ household income on funerals, a significantly greater
proportion of household income than the non-poor.
Table 9.4 Household impacts of serious traffic accident injury in Bangladesh
Consequence of serious injury Urban poor * (percentage) Urban non-poor * (percentage)
Income decreased Yes 57 33
No 43 67
Food consumption decreased Yes 59 25
No 41 75
Living standards decreased Yes 58 25
No 42 75
Arranged loan Yes 62 35
No 38 65
In contrast to non-poor households, the majority of urban poor households reported decreased income, food consumption and living standards. Most poor households
also borrowed money, thereby facing debt. Almost none of the households received insurance compensation, while only 13 per cent of the urban households received a
private settlement.
Source: Aeron-Thomas et al, 2004
Note: * The poor were identified on the basis of official government estimates of poverty, household per capita income (not victim’s income alone) and post-crash household income (not pre-crash household income).