FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Road Safety Week is underway with a renewed call to address what experts describe as a “silent pandemic” affecting 50 million people worldwide each year.
Jean Todt, the UN’s road safety envoy and former president of Formula 1, is leading efforts to improve safety for motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians. He warned that one in five people who receive medical care for road accidents suffer lifelong injuries.
Todt stressed that education, adherence to traffic laws, better infrastructure, and post-crash care are key to saving lives. “There is no fatality we cannot prevent, and solutions exist. Wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by over 74 percent,” he said.
Beyond the human toll, road accidents cost countries five percent of their economies annually, money Todt said could be saved through investments in safety measures and better protective gear.