Holistic road safety review in Hong Kong just the ticket
- Cyclists are particularly vulnerable in Hong Kong with guidelines and regulations in need of updates
If road safety was just about wearing seat belts and helmets and not getting behind the wheel after drinking, there would not be so many traffic accidents. More than 1 million people die on the road around the world each year, and tens of millions more are injured.
The cost is not just in human lives and the grief and suffering of those affected, but also in the collective economic and social impact to society.
Hong Kong appears to be heading in the right direction as there was a 42 per cent drop in the number of fatal and serious traffic accidents when comparing the first half of this year with the same period in 2023.
But with still as many as 392 such incidents recorded, or some 65 cases a month, this is hardly a relief.
Of alarming concern is a major increase in cycling fatalities. The seven deaths in the first half of this year have already surpassed the six cases recorded last year.
Four of the seven cases involved riders losing control of their bicycles, with three of them descending slopes at the time.