World Lung Foundation (WLF) has welcomed the publication of the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2015 and congratulates Bloomberg Philanthropies for its role in supporting the publication of the report. The report reveals that there are around 1.25 million road traffic deaths every year and as many as 50 million people are injured. There has been a plateau in the number of deaths since 2007. Set against a four (4) percent increase in the global population and a 16 percent increase in motorization, this suggests that road safety interventions are saving lives. However, much more will need to be done to attain the goal of reducing the global burden of road traffic deaths by half by 2020, which is included in the 2030 Agenda for Strategic Development. The report estimates that road traffic deaths and injuries cause economic losses of up five (5) percent of GDP in low- and middle-income countries and three (3) percent of GDP on a global basis.

The report also highlights the synergies achieved when strong road safety laws are supported with robust enforcement and increased risk perception through strategic communication using mass media. With respect to drinking and driving, the report notes: "Strong enforcement of drink-driving laws improves both their effectiveness and longevity. Enforcement is also more effective when supported by public awareness campaigns that make potential offenders feel more likely they will be caught, and can lead to a fall in the number of offenders."

Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy, Advocacy and Communication, World Lung Foundation, said: "We congratulate WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies on this vital report, which so comprehensively details how road safety could be improved and lives saved in many countries around the globe. It's also an important marker of where data collection on road safety indicators needs to be strengthened, so the full extent of the burden can be understood and addressed. Such data provides a strong foundation for advocates to make the case for specific, proven legislative interventions.

She continued: "The report further acknowledges that the best results are achieved when laws are fully and consistently enforced and public awareness campaigns have communicated the need for new road safety laws and the consequences of non-compliance. There is a wealth of data pointing to enforcement as a necessary driver for change and the effectiveness of accompanying hard-hitting mass media campaigns in reducing the acceptability of behaviors like speeding and drinking and driving. Road traffic injuries were the leading cause of death among people aged 15-29 in 2012. Social and mass media road safety marketing campaigns can play a key role in reaching this and other specific demographics, increasing personal perceptions of risk - of being injured or killed, causing injury or death to others or being prosecuted for flouting road safety laws, ultimately encouraging behavior change.

"We believe there can be rapid expansion of the implementation and enforcement of road safety laws - and the use of mass and social media campaigns to support those interventions - in low and middle income countries, which bear 90 percent of the burden of road traffic deaths. We stand ready to support other governments in harnessing the power of mass and social media to support the enforcement of road safety laws and reduce the human and economic burden of needless road traffic deaths," concluded Mullin.

About The Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2015-2019

The Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2015-2019 seeks to reduce fatalities and injuries from road traffic crashes in five low- and middle-income countries and ten cities, by strengthening road safety legislation at national level and implementing proven road safety interventions at city level. The selected cities will receive senior-level, full-time staff to work within city governments on their road safety initiatives; comprehensive technical assistance from the world's leading road safety organizations; training for police officers and other relevant city staff; and support to create hard-hitting mass media campaigns. This is the second phase of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Global Road Safety Initiative and represents a commitment of US$125 million over five years. For more information, please visit http://www.bloomberg.org/program/public-health/road-safety/