The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars
Every year, motor vehicle crashes claim more than a million lives around the world, including more than 40,000 in the US, where per capita death rates are more than double peer countries like Canada, Japan and France. That toll is partly a reflection of the way automobiles are designed, since their weight, shape and safety technologies help determine whether a collision becomes a fender bender or a fatality.
The sheer number of annual road fatalities worldwide — which has been relatively consistent for 25 years — has partially obscured a safety success story: In emerging markets like India, Latin America and Africa, vehicles sold today are notably less deadly than their predecessors. A growing number of countries now require features like airbags and impact-absorbing crumple zones on all new cars, and impartial crash tests allow global consumers to compare the safety of various models.
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