Road Traffic Accidents as Public Health Challenge in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Region
Journal Title: Public Health – Open Journal - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue 3
Abstract
Road traffic accidents continue to be a major cause of death and disability, globally, causing about 1.25 million deaths annually since 2007.1 Not only are road traffic accidents among the leading causes of deaths among the age cohorts between 5 and 44 years, but also the economic effects of vehicular accidents are estimated to be in excess of $500 billion US.2 The magnitude and persistence of this public health challenge has been recognized by public health researchers, policy makers and advocates at the global level, resulting in a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly to give priority to road safety by declaring the Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2011-2020. Member states were required to implement plans to improve road safety by taking various measures at the national and local levels and report data to show progress toward the goals established. The WHO was enlisted to monitor progress on a National and Regional level, issuing global status reports on the effects of policy changes implemented. The importance of this initiative was reinforced by the inclusion of two road safety goals among the 17 established in the post-2015 Global Sustainable Development Goals agenda: to decrease by 50% the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents globally by 2020; and “to provide safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all [by] improving road safety.
Authors and Affiliations
Wesley M. Rohrer
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP555193
- DOI 10.17140/PHOJ-1-e004
- Views 170
- Downloads 0
Our Interconnection through Mobility Facilitates the Spread of Infectious Pathogens
Pathogens have been moving around for a while. The History of the Peloponnesian War, written by Thucydides (c. 460 BC - c. 395 BC), an Athenian historian, describes the plague of Athens of 430 BC, and it is said “It firs...
Counting Tuberculosis Patients in India: A Continued Imbroglio?
In India, tuberculosis continues to be major public health problem despite the efforts of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) since 1997. In 2014, out of the estimated 9.6 million TB cases across...
Measuring Health Services Utilization in Ethnic Populations: Ethnicity and Choice of Frameworks
Background: Health services utilization (HSU) is an important health outcome indicator, a surrogate measure of access to healthcare, that influences the outcomes of health status and consumer satisfaction, is a surrogate...
Patient Satisfaction with an Interprofessional Approach to Wound Care in Qatar
Background: Patient satisfaction with healthcare services is an important indicator of the patients’ confidence in the healthcare system and a significant indicator of the quality of healthcare services delivered. This s...
Implementation of Value Stream Mapping for Waste Elimination in Public Sectors: A Case Study at Emam Sajjad Clinic, Rasht, Iran
Introduction: In the competitive world, it is necessary to be aware of all tools and knowledge as well as to learn the correct use of tools and techniques of lean manufacturing. The lean manufacturing concepts are always...