A new World Bank report finds that by 2020 road traffic deaths in sub-Saharan Africa will rise by 80%. Currently it is estimated that 24 people per 100,000 die in traffic accidents annually. Additionally, road traffic accidents are expected to become the biggest killer of chidren ages 5 to 15 by 2015; a greater threat than both Malaria and AIDS.
The report - The Challenge of Non-Communicable Disease and Road Traffic Injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa - also finds that the rate non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes will continue to rise in sub-Saharan Africa, and cites urbanization as a leading cause for the increase in both road traffic injury and NCDs. Further analysis on the World Bank report can be found in The Guardian.
Click here to download the full report.