Rates of public investment for road safety in developing countries: Case studies of Uganda and Pakistan

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-1-2003

Journal

Health Policy and Planning

Volume

18

Issue

2

DOI

10.1093/heapol/czg028

Keywords

Cost effectiveness; Injuries; Prevention; Safety; Traffic

Abstract

Objective: This paper assesses the magnitude of public investment in road safety in Uganda and Pakistan. Methods: The study reviewed government budgetary records on expenditure for road safety for each country, as well as World Bank estimates of bilateral and NGO assistance directed to road safety. The authors interviewed key informants in each government who would know about public or NGO activity on road safety. Results: Budgetary expenditure on road safety at all levels of government in Uganda and Pakistan is $0.09 and $0.07 per capita respectively. Discussion: The scale of public activity in road safety in Uganda and Pakistan is extremely limited. If there are diminishing returns to scale for road safety investments, this would suggest that the potential effectiveness of properly chosen safety measures could never be higher. Conclusion: Large reductions in morbidity and mortality are likely if investment in road safety is expanded.

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