Benchmarking road safety in Latin America

Abstract

What we did This report describes and benchmarks road safety management and performance in ten Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. Country benchmarking is a useful tool to compare countries and learn from each other. The comparisons in this study allow identifying similarities and differences between countries in the number of crashes and casualties, but also in the factors that influence the risk of crashes and the severity of their outcomes. The project was conducted over a two-year period in close co-operation with the Ibero American Road Safety Observatory (OISEVI) and active involvement of experts from the ten countries. It is based on the analysis of a large amount of data and information on the general transport context for each country, their road safety management practices, and trends in road safety performance. Specific aspects that were reviewed in detail were motorcyclist and pedestrian safety, drinking and driving behaviour, seat belt and child restraint use, speed management and post-crash care. What we found Road safety is a major issue in Latin America and substantial actions are needed to reduce the road safety toll. There is a high road mortality rate (fatalities per 100 000 population) in all ten countries compared to the European Union average, except in Cuba, where motorisation is much lower. Across the ten countries, more than 78 000 people were killed on the road in 2014. Some countries have seen a significant increase in the number of road deaths in recent years. For others, the number of road deaths has slightly increased or has more or less stabilised, despite a strong increase in motorisation. In the absence of targeted policy interventions, significant investment and strong leadership, the number of traffic fatalities will grow across Latin America over the next decade. Motorisation has been rising in all countries and significantly increasing the exposure to traffic risks. The deteriorating safety of motorcyclists is a particularly acute problem in Latin America due largely to the dramatic increase in the fleets of powered two-wheelers. In three countries, motorcyclists represent more than 40% of the total number of road deaths. Pedestrians are the largest or second largest group of road deaths in seven countries. While adequate legislations exist in all countries, speeding, drink driving and low levels of seat belt use and wearing motorcycle helmets are common issues in all ten countries. Addressing these issues, and reducing the toll of road deaths and serious injuries, will require substantial efforts.