Cross-Sectional Study of Road Accidents and Related Law Enforcement Efficiency for Ten Countries: A Gap Coherence Analysis

<i>Objective</i>: Road crashes are considered as the eighth leading causes of death. There is a wide disparity in crash severity and law enforcement efficiency among low, medium and high-income countries. It would be helpful to review the crash severity trends in these countries, identify the vulnerable road users and understand the law enforcement effectiveness for coming up with efficient road safety improvement strategies. <i>Method</i>: The crash severity, fatality rate among various age groups and law enforcement strategies of ten countries representing low-income (i.e. India and Morocco), medium-income (i.e. Argentina, South Korea and Greece) and high-income (i.e. Australia, Canada, France, UK and USA) are studied and compared for a period of five years (i.e. 2008 to 2012). The critical parameters affecting road safety are identified and correlated with education, culture and basic compliance to traffic safety laws. In the process, possible road safety improvement strategies are identified for low-income countries. <i>Result</i>: The number of registered vehicles shows an increasing trend for low-income countries and so does the crash rate and crash severity. Compliance related to seatbelt and helmet law is high in high-income countries. Also, recent seatbelt and helmet related safety programs in middle-income countries helped to curb fatalities. Whereas, the safety law incompliance among low-income countries is attributed to education, culture and inefficient law enforcement. <i>Conclusion</i>: Efficient law enforcement and effective safety education without discounting cultural diversity are the key aspects to reduce traffic related injuries and fatalities in low-income countries like India.