WHO says the global rate of road deaths fell by 21% between 2011 and 2025. However, crashes still killed 1.16 million people in 2025. Road injuries remain the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5–29. This progress happened even as the world added more than one billion vehicles.
A new United Nations declaration asks countries to improve road safety by 2030. Motorcycles became much more common, and riders now make up nearly one third of road deaths. A good helmet can reduce a motorcyclist's risk of death in a crash. WHO says it can lower that risk by more than six times.