By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Car and other motor vehicle accidents caused about 1.26 million deaths in 2000.

That's right, 1.26 million people. It's not a typo. And it's not some off-the-wall estimate. It comes from a new report by the World Health Organization.

According to the report, auto accidents account for nearly 25 percent of the 5 million people who die from injuries each year. That's the biggest non-natural killer in the world today. In fact, auto injuries account for more deaths than war, drowning and poisoning combined.

Worldwide, three times more men than women die as a result of road traffic collisions. Young people are by far the most vulnerable. Nearly half of all vehicle deaths involved people ages 15 to 44.

A couple of small countries in the Middle East have the highest rates of auto fatalities. Among large countries, India is the most dangerous, with 29 deaths per 100,000 people a year. China is next with 19 per 100,000. In North America, the rate is 15 per 100,000.

In lost productivity alone, the auto deaths represent tens of billions of dollars each year, the report said. Since many of the young victims are primary breadwinners with years of earning potential ahead, the auto deaths cause a serious reduction in quality of life and a big increase in poverty.

The WHO report suggests that many of the deaths are preventable. The group wants to see more governments worldwide take an active role in promoting the use of seat belts in cars and helmets while riding motorcycles.

Just like in Hawai'i and the rest of the country, there are worldwide efforts to promote traffic calming to protect pedestrians and to step up to enforcement of drunk driving and speeding laws.

Safer cars, not drivers

A new U.S. poll found that most Americans believe cars are safer but drivers are more dangerous than in the past.

Eighty-one percent said they believe cars are safer, 57 percent said roads are safer, but only 27 percent said drivers are safer than in the past.

The poll results were released last week by Drive for Life, a new, privately financed national initiative to make driving safer in the United States.

Among the findings:

• Seventy-one percent of all drivers admit they speed sometimes, and most believe it's OK to routinely exceed the speed limit by 5 mph.
• Most drivers engage in one or more activities while driving. Fifty-nine percent said they eat while driving, 37 percent say they talk on a cell phone and 14 percent even read while driving.

Mike Leidemann's Drive Time column appears every Tuesday. Reach him at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.