ABSTRACT
Currently the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, road traffic injuries (RTIs) are projected to be the seventh leading cause by 2030 and thus represent a major, continued, and often neglected threat to public health (WHO 2013). According to the most recent global health estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic crashes were responsible for more than 1.25 million deaths in 2012 (WHO 2014). Traffic crashes also result in as many as 50 million nonfatal injuries each year, and many nonfatal RTIs result in millions of people with short-and long-term disability (WHO 2009). RTIs, both fatal and nonfatal, are responsible for economic losses of between 1% and 3% of annual gross domestic product, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Peden & Hyder 2002). In addition, the personal and social impact of death and disability from RTIs, or “intangible costs,” are staggering (Pérez-Núñez et al. 2012).
