Report: Traffic Fatalities Hold Back Developing Economies
Deadly traffic accidents are more than just individual tragedies. They're a drag on economic growth in developing countries, according to a new World Bank report. The study is among the first to show that investing in road safety in low- and middle-income countries would raise national incomes. Ninety percent of the world's annual 1.25 million traffic deaths happen in the developing world. The World Health Organization says traffic accidents are the leading cause of death worldwide for people between 15 to 29 years old. That includes crashes that kill pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. But the issue does not get much official attention, according to World Bank transportation expert Dipan Bose. "There is not a lot of political will in many low and middle income countries to take definitive actions to…