Interactive Map Displays Traffic Fatality Rates Around The World

As reported by the Car Connection: We've already thrown a wet blanket on your day with a warning about traffic fatalities over the Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, we have one more downer to share: an interactive map of traffic fatality rates around the globe, courtesy of the Pulitzer Center.

According to the Pulitzer Center, 1.2 million people die on Planet Earth's roadways every year -- and that figure is likely to get worse as the number of cars in service climbs. The problem is particularly bad for emerging nations. As the authors of the article explain:

The toll is highest in the developing world. Poor countries account for 50 percent of the world’s road traffic, but 90 percent of the traffic fatalities. Road accidents will soon become the fifth leading cause of death in these countries, leapfrogging past HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other familiar killers, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent Global Burden of Disease study.

Grim as that sounds, the assertion makes sense. As we saw yesterday, developing nations lack the infrastructure (e.g protective barriers, well-lit roads) and safety regulations found in the developing world. Such things have reduced the number of traffic fatalities elsewhere on the planet.

What's more, in parts of the developed world, road traffic appears to have peaked. People in the U.S. and other countries are relying more on mass transit and other means to get around -- if they need to get around at all. (Thanks, whoever invented telecommuting.) In developing countries, those options are less available, forcing both motorists and pedestrians onto dangerous roads.  

Worst of all, traffic fatalities are part of a vicious circle, preventing poor nations from growing more rapidly. According to Jose Luis Irigoyen, a highway safety expert at the World Bank, in low- and middle-income countries, traffic fatalities reduce GDP by 1 to 3 percent. That's money that could otherwise be funneled back into developing countries. 

As you'll see from the map embedded below (click "view fullscreen" to review the most data), the Pulitzer Center has compiled fatality stats for most countries on the planet. Compare the U.S. fatality rate of 11.4 per 100,000 to that of other nations, like the Dominican Republic, Iran, and Thailand. Pay particular attention to the way in which people were traveling when killed: in a car, on a motorcycle, on a bike, or while walking.

The map is missing a good bit of information, but even so, it raises plenty of intriguing questions.