IN BRIEF (Page 11)

United Nations

Traffic accidents kill 1.25m each year

Traffic accidents kill about 1.25 million people each year around the world, participants at a forum on road safety warned on Wednesday, calling on countries to work to reduce the alarming figure. World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan conveyed a message from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, saying that "reducing traffic deaths is one of the Sustainable Development Goals and an obligation for the world". Some 90 percent of all traffic fatalities occur in developing countries, Chan said, adding that at least another 30 million people are injured in road accidents.