14 DAY TRIAL // The World Health Organization (WHO) says that one of the main causes for the incredibly large number of car crashes that occur in the world yearly is poor street lighting, in that, in some places, even the basic light poles are missing, or have never been there. A new study from Cochrane Researchers shows that some of the scientific estimates that are currently consulted by authorities in determining how to fit a street are more than 10 years out-of-date, meaning that the information they contain no longer addresses our daily realities.
WHO says that more than $578 billion are annually paid on bills related to car accidents. Experts with the UN organization argue that approximately 1 million people are killed every year in these terrible tragedies, with an additional 50 million receiving mild to serious injuries and handicaps.
"Road traffic crashes are not just the unfortunate culmination of chance, but are events that can be analyzed so that the risk factors are identified and then addressed. Darkness is a risk factor – street lighting is therefore a valuable tool," University of Newcastle Institute of Health and Society researcher Fiona Beyer, who was also the leader of the team behind the new estimates, explains.
"In the UK, an increasing number of local councils are looking to turn off some public street lighting in a move to reduce costs and carbon emissions. The potential adverse road safety impact of such a policy should be carefully considered in light of our findings," she adds.
Experts say that the number of crashes can be significantly reduced, if developing nations ensure that all major arteries are well lit, especially during the night. In some Eastern European countries, the law forces drivers to keep their headlights open even during the day, if they venture outside the cities, into European or national roads.
Beyer says that replacing street lights with LED or CFL might be a better idea than removing the light sources altogether, especially in the developed world, which has the capacity to back up such plans. She goes on to mention that WHO estimates the number of car crash-related deaths will reach 2.3 million people by 2020.