Volvo Wants To See Road Safety Inequality Addressed Globally /Volvo would like UN delegates to address a large inequality in road safety, as official data shows a significant gap in the number of traffic fatalities between developed and developing countries.

Every year, an estimated 1.35 million people lose their lives in traffic accidents, with the World Health Organization (WHO) claiming that traffic fatalities are three times more likely to happen in developing countries than developed ones.

“Global data shows that there is a significant inequality in road safety,” said Volvo Safety exec Malin Ekholm. “Those safety gaps need to be addressed through technology, but also by creating and enhancing a global safety culture. We need to understand and address the variation in seat belt usage, while infrastructure should focus on improving the safety of vulnerable road users, pedestrians and cyclists.”

One solution, as Ekholm suggests, would be for countries to promote safety belt usage by introducing and enforcing seat-belt laws that cover not only front passengers, but rear-seat ones as well. The problem is getting people to respect these laws, as they are often ignored even in countries where they are enforced.