Beware of road accidents while traveling overseas

30 April, 2007

Traffic accidents while traveling abroad are claiming a considerable number of lives.

According to an analysis of the data available with the United States State Department by the Make Roads Safe Campaign, a group funded by automobile clubs dedicated to reducing global traffic deaths and injuries, traffic crashes were responsible for the deaths of 741 US citizens traveling overseas from 2004-2006. This is about one-third of the 2,364 deaths of US citizens while on a trip abroad.

The figures, the Make Roads Safe Campaign says, could be understated because some families may not report the deaths to the US State Department or some travelers may return for medical treatment and die in the United States.

The group’s report was issued on April 25, 2007, as a part of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week.

There are many reasons for travelers falling victim to traffic crashes while abroad.

Use of automobile has expanded rapidly in many parts of the world where the main mode of transportation was once confined to bicycles. A good example is China, which is now the second-largest vehicle market in the world, and the country’s passenger car sales grew by a whopping 37% in 2006.

Traffic safety experts are of the view that many American travelers overlook the dangers of road safety during their vacations. They need to know more about their destinations – such as a country’s road conditions, a travel company’s safety record, should avoid traveling at night and must follow safety standards like buckling up and not drinking and driving.

Most travelers, says Rochelle Sobel, president of the Association for Safe International Road Travel, worry about malaria and other the diseases they may contract, about terrorism and also about their things being stolen. But they do not seem to worry about the single biggest cause of death – road accident.

Rochelle Sobel started her organisation after her 25-year-old son, Aron, was killed in a bus crash in Turkey just two weeks before his medical school graduation. Her association provides detailed reports on road conditions, dangerous highways and driver behavior for over 150 countries.

Especially vulnerable to traffic crashes are the young adults. A report released by the World Health Organisation in the second week of April 2007 says that nearly 400,000 young people under 25 are killed in traffic crashes annually and that car crashes are the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 10 to 24.

At Michigan State University, which sent about 2,700 students to 54 countries through its study abroad program in 2006, students were informed of road safety and told to avoid late-night travel in countries with poor safety records or mountainous terrain. However, convincing students of the potential risks months before they travel can be a challenge since many of them tend to take for granted a lot of safety measures.

For tour groups, having strong relationships with drivers throughout the world can help ensure safety of the travelers.

Dr Bella Dinh-Zarr, North American director of the Make Roads Safe Campaign and a co-author of the report, warns that the explosion of automobile sales in many developing countries and poor road conditions could lead to an increase in road fatalities worldwide.