New york: Every year, 1.2 million people lose their lives in road crashes, with an additional 50 million suffering from injuries or disabilities.

According to Emirates News Agency, Ant³nio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, highlighted that nine out of ten road-crash fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries. A significant portion of these victims, one-third, are children and young people, making road accidents the leading cause of death within this demographic. Guterres shared these insights in his message on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, observed annually on the third Sunday of November. This year’s theme is “Remember. Support. Act.”

Guterres emphasized that existing solutions include improving infrastructure, enhancing legislation, raising awareness, enforcing safety laws, and sharing best practices internationally. He noted that the UN Road Safety Conventions, the Road Safety Fund, and the Special Envoy for Road Safety have aided 94 countries in reducing road fatalities.

At this year’s Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, governments reaffirmed their commitment to reducing road deaths by half by the year 2030. Guterres urged collective action to transform remembrance into concrete measures, aiming to ensure that every journey concludes safely.