Approximately three thousand people are killed in traffic related accidents every day. Over 90% of these deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries, despite the fact that these same countries possess less than half the world’s automobiles. A possible explanation for this disparity, according to a recent report, is government corruption, and the environment it creates.
Poor countries tend to have fewer road-related deaths, but as they grow wealthier, both the opportunities for corruption and the number of fatalities increase. The rationale being that corruption could be diverting resources away from infrastructure development and influencing law enforcement as more citizens are able to afford vehicles
Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death in developing countries with several compounding factors contributing to their prominence. Many of the automobiles driven in these countries would not pass global basic safety standards, increasing the risk of accidents. A lack of resources combined with government corruption means that roads may be poorly maintained, enforcement of safety laws may be weak, and access to medical assistance may be low. In China there have been reports of drivers, confident in their ability to bribe authorities and avoid murder charges, intentionally killing pedestrians they accidentally hit because it’s cheaper to compensate the victim’s family than pay for the survivor’s lifetime disability.
In Thailand’s capital, crossing the street is like playing a game of Frogger with only one life to use. As a middle-income country struggling with pervasive corruption, it suffers the most traffic-related deaths in the world. The overwhelming majority of those killed are pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers or passengers of two and three-wheeled vehicles, with a only small fraction of fatalities being drivers/passengers of four-wheeled vehicles. The prevalence of two-wheeled vehicles like motorcycles and scooters is high in developing countries because motorcycles are relatively cheap, often unregulated, and present a viable alternative to inefficient public transit systems. However, they are also significantly more dangerous as they make drivers and passengers more vulnerable to the traffic hazards.
Tutti frutti traffic in Bangkok pic.twitter.com/dHXv8PEyvr
— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) May 11, 2016
But it’s not just individual bad drivers who are responsible for traffic fatalities in these countries. In many countries, public transportation is a huge part of the problem. In Lima, an estimated 2.7 people will die for every 100 automobiles - this includes the astounding number of buses and taxis on the road, less than half of which operate legally. Since the public transportation system was deregulated in the 90s, Lima has seen a rise of independent transportation companies battling for profit by filling vehicles to over-capacity and racing each other to the next stop to pick up passengers first. The sheer number of vehicles on the street increases the risk of road accidents and deaths as well as traffic inefficiencies, gas consumption, and the emission of pollutants.
Though it’s hard to pinpoint one specific cause, it’s not hard to picture the effects of corruption on road-related fatalities. If funds are finding their way into the pockets of public officials instead of infrastructure building, it’s easy to imagine the shoddy condition of roads. If drivers know the police will look the other way for a small fee, it’s not a stretch to picture the resulting chaos.
We often take our safety on the road for granted and casually put our lives into the hands of those at the wheel. But when drivers can navigate the roads without regard for the law or consequences, the risk of traffic-related deaths is high - and this is the case in many developing countries plagued by corruption. Addressing the root causes of road-related fatalities needs to start with government accountability, transparency, and a commitment to protect its citizens. Cleaning up road conditions needs to start with cleaning up corruption.