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How local successes can help tackle one of the world’s biggest public health challenges

Between 2016 and 2020, annual traffic deaths in Recife, Brazil dropped from 151 to 88.

In 2020, Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam had 133 fewer road deaths than in 2015.

In Mumbai, India, road fatalities declined from 611 in 2015, to 350 in 2020.

Local projects in these cities have saved hundreds of lives over the years. And their success points the way toward tackling one of the world’s greatest public health challenges: road safety.

Globally, traffic accidents account for more than 50 million injuries and nearly 1.3 million deaths in an average year. For children and young adults aged five to 29, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in the world.

For more than 15 years, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety has worked with international organizations and governments to implement proven, life-saving measures. Check out our videos on the projects referenced above to see how strategic interventions — slowing the speed of traffic near a school, or rerouting vehicles at a single intersection — can bring communities together to keep people safe and save lives:

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