Imagine standing in front of a room of 1,000 people and asking, “Who here has been in a road crash, or knows someone who has?” Hands would raise up through the crowd like a Mexican wave, a silent reminder of how road crashes touch nearly everyone.
And thanks to global surveys and health data, we can put numbers to that wave — revealing just how profoundly road crashes affect communities around the world.
To understand just how widespread road crashes are, let’s look at the data on both serious injuries and minor collisions.
Serious injuries and fatalities
First up, let’s consider just how many people are affected by the devastating consequences of serious road accidents.
“In the past two years, do you know someone who was seriously harmed or who died in a road accident?”
According to the World Risk Poll, about 25% of adults worldwide said they know someone who has been seriously harmed in a road crash over that same period.
In our imaginary room of 1,000 people, that means around 250 hands go up immediately. While one in four people knowing someone seriously harmed is extremely worrying, the majority of road crashes are less severe—but far more common.
Minor crashes: the hidden majority
When we include all types of road accidents — even minor ones with no injuries — the scale of the problem becomes even more striking.
“Do you know someone who has been in any type of road accident, even one that only caused minor damage, over their lifetime or in the recent past?
Answering this isn’t straightforward, because no single global survey asks this exact question. But by piecing together key data, we can get a strong sense of just how common road crashes really are:
- Each year, 20–50 million people suffer non-fatal road injuries (WHO).
- Crashes that involve only property damage are far more common and often go unreported.
- People are surprisingly likely to experience a crash at some point in their lives. For example, a survey in the UK found that more than half of drivers — 55% — had been involved in a collision.
Exposure also varies by region:
- In low- and middle-income countries, which account for over 90% of road deaths, even more than 25% of people know someone who has been seriously harmed.
- In high-income countries, where road safety systems are generally stronger, the percentage is lower — but still significant.
All factors considered, it’s reasonable to estimate that 600–900 out of every 1,000 people (60%–90%) have been affected by, or know someone affected by a road crash. For arguments sake, lets split the difference at 75%.
Going back to our room of 1000 people – a staggering 750 people would immediately raise their hand.
While this isn’t a direct survey number, it’s a well-founded estimate that highlights just how widespread road crashes are worldwide — far beyond the serious injuries and fatalities we discussed earlier.
And that brings us to the next question:
If crashes touch so many lives, can we still call them “accidents,” or are they largely the result of preventable human errors?
So, when do we stop calling these “accidents”?
Many global and regional sources explicitly recognize human error as a major — often dominant — cause of road crashes. Pinning down exact percentages is tricky, though, because multiple factors interact: driver behavior, road conditions, vehicles, and the surrounding environment all play a role.
- The WHO’s Road Traffic Injuries fact sheets highlight risk factors such as speeding, alcohol or drug use, distracted driving, non-use of safety equipment, and poor road infrastructure — all of which largely stem from human behaviour and decision-making.
- The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 emphasizes the “safe system approach,” which assumes human error is inevitable and stresses that systems must be designed to prevent those errors from becoming fatal.
- Regional road safety charters often cite figures like “90% of accidents are caused by human error” or “human factors contribute to 95% of road incidents,” based on crash reports and traffic safety studies.
Taken together, the evidence points to a clear conclusion: road crashes are not random misfortunes. They are largely preventable outcomes of human behavior — often made worse by inadequate systems and infrastructure.
Protect employees & communities: road safety technology for businesses
If most crashes stem from human error, the path forward is clear: organizations need to design safer systems rather than rely on flawless behavior. Employers can play a pivotal role in making this a reality.
One practical step is giving employees free access to CameraMatics ZERO. This road safety technology app helps drivers develop safer, more sustainable habits on the road by:
- Raising awareness of risky behaviors such as speeding, harsh braking and distraction.
- Encouraging accountability and responsible decision-making behind the wheel.
- Supporting a workplace culture where road safety is prioritized both on and off the clock.
By offering ZERO free of charge, businesses not only demonstrate leadership in road safety, but also protect their workforce and contribute to reducing what is ultimately a preventable epidemic.
In summary
Road “accidents” are rarely just accidents. They’re preventable, predictable, and deeply human in origin. With countless lives affected every year, the responsibility lies with all of us — governments, communities, and businesses alike — to design safer systems and take action now.
ZERO, hardware-free road safety technology from CameraMatics, is instantly deployable—empowering organizations to reduce risk and promote safer driving among their employees, families, and communities. Every crash prevented is a life protected — start making roads safer today.
