Road Safety in Low- and Middle-Income Countries – Analysis and Recommendations

Erdelean, Isabela; Schaub, Andrea; Yannis, George; Roussou, Julia · 2026 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-88974-5_26

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Summary

This paper addresses the critical issue of road safety in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 90% of global road fatalities occur. Motivated by the need to provide LMIC stakeholders with accessible knowledge from the World Road Association (PIARC), the study aims to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by applying the Safe System Approach. The research synthesizes insights from PIARC resources to identify challenges and provide actionable recommendations across eight key safety domains: management, data, speed, vulnerable road users, human factors, infrastructure, vehicles, and tunnels. The methodology involved a systematic literature review of the PIARC knowledge base, covering documents published between 2015 and 2022. The authors screened over 60 online resources, including technical reports, case studies, conference proceedings, and manuals, ultimately selecting approximately 45 documents for in-depth analysis. These resources were categorized according to the eight pillars of the Safe System Approach to ensure a comprehensive assessment of road safety challenges specific to LMICs. The findings highlight significant systemic gaps in LMICs. In management, while 87% of LMICs have a lead agency, many lack national strategies, suffering from insufficient funding, leadership, and expertise. Data quality is a major hindrance, with inaccurate crash reporting leading to ineffective decisions; the study recommends enforcing legal reporting requirements and improving data collection tools. Speed is identified as a primary risk factor, with an 88% increase in fatalities associated with a 15% increase in mean speed. Recommendations include credible speed limits and low-cost infrastructure modifications like chicanes. Vulnerable road users face higher risks due to mixed traffic and poor infrastructure, necessitating a design paradigm shift toward failure-forgiving roads. Human factors remain challenging due to poor enforcement of laws regarding speeding and drink-driving. Infrastructure improvements are often hindered by cost and maintenance issues, while vehicle safety is compromised by a lack of design standards and enforcement against overloading. Tunnel safety requires specific human-factor-focused designs and robust post-crash protocols. The significance of this study lies in its provision of a structured, evidence-based framework for improving road safety in resource-constrained environments. By emphasizing the Safe System Approach, the paper argues that infrastructure and vehicle improvements can compensate for human error and lower compliance rates. The recommendations, such as developing university road safety programs, adopting harmonized vehicle standards, and implementing intelligent speed assistance, offer practical pathways for LMICs. Although targeted at LMICs, the authors conclude that these insights are valuable for all nations seeking to enhance road safety, underscoring the universal applicability of the Safe System principles.

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

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• comparative international
• demographic disparities

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes
• Synthesis & Review: research agenda