SURESTE DE MÉXICO

The road safety situation worldwide is complex and continues to worsen every year. According to recent statistics, more than 1.24 million people are killed annually in RTAs. Moreover, another 20 to 50 million receive non-fatal injuries as a result of road crashes (WHO, 2013). The most notable feature of high RTA rates is their alarming concentration (90% of total RTAs) in middle- and low-income countries (WHO, 2013). The WHO and the UN, as well as other international organisations, have recognised an urgent need to identify the causes of RTAs and develop effective strategies to improve road safety and establish a culture of safety on the world’s roads. World Health Organisation (WHO) (2011) research findings also suggest that about 50% of RTA-related deaths occur among vulnerable road user categories, such as motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists, while 15% of contemporary countries even do not have comprehensive legislation that would establish stringent road safety standards and litigation for their violation (WHO, 2011).

UN (2015) experts also point out that RTAs are associated with considerable economic, social, and health losses and expenditure in most modern countries, and observe that this burden continues to increase. International research (WHO, 2011; UN, 2015, and others) indicates that the most valuable contribution to the improvement of the road safety situation in any particular country is the creation of a well-funded lead agency that addresses road safety issues, and the performance of regular research and risk assessment of the national road safety situation (UN, 2015). The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (2015) is also actively engaged in research into road safety gaps and problems worldwide, and IFRC reports have already made an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the causes of high RTAs, and of ways of combating the incidence RTA worldwide. Unfortunately, however, according to IFRC (2015) estimates, the road safety situation in developing and low-income countries is expected to deteriorate further, which may cause more human suffering and increase the financial, social and healthcare burden associated with RTA morbidity and mortality. This has ominous implications for the KSA. Risky driving behaviour is the main cause of road accidents worldwide (WHO, 2015). Hence, the keys to addressing the high mortality and morbidity associated with road accidents are thorough research, evaluation, risk assessment and the development of evidence-based responses. The studies of Beanland et al. (2013), Castaniera, Derochea and Woodmanb (2013), Chorltona, Conner and Jamson (2011), Desapriya et al. (2011), IFRC (2015), Palat

and Delhomme (2012), and WHO (2013) strongly suggest that such a conclusion is reasonable, especially because these studies are dedicated to examining why RTAs occur, what percentages of RTAs are fatal, which types of vehicles are most vulnerable in terms of road safety, and so on. These studies also support some of the central contentions of my own work.

One of the most extensive and thorough research projects on the topic was conducted by DEKRA (2015). Its report is dedicated to enhancing road safety in the face of the ongoing technological progress. The paper thoroughly investigates traffic psychology and vehicle technology to highlight the areas with the greatest potential for further safety improvement. DEKRA (2015) experts also describe the challenges that efforts to bring about this improvement may create for people, technology and infrastructure. Furthermore, the report stresses the need to promote responsible and safety-conscious behaviour by all road users. According to DEKRA (2015), future interventions should focus on ways to ensure road safety in the context of electronically assisted driving and autonomous driving, which are expected to become a technical reality in the near future.

Many studies have investigated road safety from the perspective of young drivers and many have done so in the context of driver training. Thus, Beanland et al. (2013), for example, studied the effectiveness of driver training for improving young novice drivers’ on-road safety and hazard perception. It has been found that focusing more on improving young drivers’ attitudes towards safety may be even more important than teaching traditional procedural skill acquisition. Papakosmas and Noble (2011) provide further evidence on this issue by considering the high rates of RTA-related injury and death among young novice drivers, and by making connections between the experiences of novice drivers, their confidence and competence on the road, and their involvement in RTAs. Papakosmas and Noble (2011) establish a direct link between parental impact on young novice drivers and their exposure to risk-taking behaviours on the road and frequency of RTAs. This work also has obvious, and quite crucial, relevance to my own study.

The WHO (2015a) provides very comprehensive general data on the worldwide distribution of the RTA health and life burden, and on RTA-related legislation and statistics for different countries. Studies by Castaniera, Derochea and Woodmanb (2013), Chorltona, Conner and Jamson (2011), and Palat and Delhomme (2012) deal with the theory of planned behaviour and its potential to identify the psychological determinants of risky driving. Desapriya et al.

(2011) present a different perspective on RTAs. They explore the risks associated with old age, focusing primarily on how declines in sensory, physical and cognitive functions affect the involvement of older people in RTAs (as both pedestrians and drivers).

As one can see from the evidence presented in this section, RTAs are a global burden — and almost every country in the world tries to do its best to develop effective tools for addressing the tragic situation on the roads. Thousands of people die or are permanently disabled because of risky driving behaviour. The situation must be addressed not only by improving vehicles, developing and refining safety-checking regimes, ameliorating deficiencies in road infrastructure, and so on, but also through well-planned and well-targeted national and international strategies and campaigns. Some countries have already moved forward in improving driving behaviour and road safety culture; however, this work is of an embryonic and fragile nature in developing countries. Therefore, together with a clear image of the RTA-related situation worldwide, the present dissertation targets an identification of the RTA situation and the epidemiology of the KSA. The next section is dedicated to the assessment of the RTA rates and trends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.