Globally, road traffic crashes cause nearly 1.3 million preventable deaths and an estimated 50 million injuries each year. The Global Plan for the Second Decade of Action on Road Safety 2021-2030 calls on governments and stakeholders to implement an integrated Safe System approach positioning road safety as a key driver of sustainable development. The Plan calls for actions to reach a target of a 50% reduction in the number of road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

The burden of road traffic injuries and deaths is disproportionately borne by vulnerable road users and those living in low and middle-income countries. It is estimated that developing countries, while having only half of the world's vehicles, account for 90% of road traffic fatalities. Statistics show that over 50% of the world’s road traffic deaths occur among vulnerable road users (e.g. pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists). Two and three-wheeler deaths comprise 28% of the total with WHO estimating that in 2013 there were over 286,000 fatalities from motorcycle crashes. Despite decades of effort, this level of trauma has remained largely unchanged.

In many developing countries, motorized two and three-wheeled vehicles are the dominant vehicle type. Globally, 88% of motorcycle registrations are in low or middle-income countries. Road traffic death and serious injury involving motorcycles in these countries is significant and can exceed 70% of the total national road trauma.

On behalf of the global network of Regional Road Safety Observatories, the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO) is leading a forum to highlight the growing need to address motorcycle trauma and bring together practitioners to consider what actions are needed. The focus is on low and middle-income countries for whom motorcycling is the dominant road transport mode as clearly these countries face the greatest challenges.

APRSO Annual Meeting
13 October 2022, Manila, Philippines

The 2022 APRSO Annual Meeting follows on from a two-day meeting on motorcycle safety. Many of the same delegates are expected to participate in these two meetings.