How to Tackle the Biggest Killer of Humanitarian Aid Workers Rose van Steijn - Reuters
go to original August 19, 2013

Road traffic accidents, like this bus crash in Mexico, are the most likely cause of death and injury for humanitarian field workers. Photo taken May 2013. (Reuters)

What is the single greatest danger to humanitarian field workers today? Disease? Natural disaster? Terrorist attack?

In fact the answer is something that should be easily avoided – road traffic crashes. According to the WHO,1.2 million people worldwide are killed each year in road crashes ­- equivalent to 3,000 deaths every day.

This is expected to increase to 1.9 million deaths annually by 2020 unless the right measures are taken. And a disproportionate 91 percent of road fatalities occur in low-income and middle-income countries, even though these countries have just half of the world's vehicles.

For field workers, travelling in a vehicle is usually the most dangerous activity they face, due to driving during night time, poor roads, and public lack of understanding of road safety guidelines.

The current number of field workers killed or injured in road crashes is hard to pin down – because of underreporting and absence of robust data collection methods. What is beyond question however, is that not one of the Millennium Development Goals mentions transport or infrastructure. This is a significant absence – as the achievement of each and every MDG is dependent on reliable access to communities.

So what steps should humanitarian organisations take to mitigate the number of transport-related deaths and serious injuries? And what are the wider benefits of fleet and road safety training?

Read the rest at Reuters

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!