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REPORT | POLICY DOCUMENT | PRESS RELEASE

Traffic literature has confirmed that road crash injuries and deaths have a profound long-term impact on income growth and welfare loss that further constrains the human capacity in emerging economies. A previous macroeconomic study by the World Bank on road safety indicated that reducing road traffic injuries in half could translate into an additional 15 to 22 percent of GDP per capita income growth over 24 years.

The impact of road injuries on economic productivity tells us only part of the story. Aside from their direct impact on the income growth of a country, road traffic injuries also cause individual and social welfare losses that cannot be ignored. The poor in particular are largely vulnerable to the impact of road crashes. In a country like India, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists who mostly represent the poor income strata of the society also happen to have the least safety protection in the event of a traffic crash. They account for more than half the total road crash deaths. And among those unfortunate ones who are involved in a crash do not have adequate access to medical and social safety net and the burden of the crash is borne not only by the victim but by their entire households and immediate family.

Key Findings of the Report in an Infographic

While policymakers across sectors increasingly recognize road traffic injuries as a socioeconomic burden, there is limited evidence available in India which have purposely quantified the burden of road traffic injuries to the different demographics of the society. The present survey-based study commissioned by the World Bank and implemented by Save LIFE Foundation – a national NGO focused on road safety – presents a novel and unique perspective into this data gap. The results from the study showcase links between poverty, gender, and road user-type by analyzing primary data collected from four states in India – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

This work reaffirms the importance of looking at road safety as a cross-cutting development issue for India.