By Len Jorge

Most parents, educators, and policymakers share a common goal: ensuring that children grow up safely and have the chance to thrive. However, for many communities around the world, road crashes continue to be a persistent threat. Experts say one of the most effective ways to address this risk is by teaching children how to navigate traffic safely, a measure often overlooked despite its proven impact.

Road-safety education is no longer seen as an optional add-on. Public-health advocates describe it as a critical intervention, especially as global data continues to show high rates of child injuries linked to road traffic incidents. Understanding the scale of the problem and what can be done about it is essential for families, schools, and local authorities working to keep young people safe.

The stark numbers: What the data says

Road traffic injuries remain one of the most deadly and preventable threats to children and young people.

• According to a 2025 report from UNICEF (with support from FIA Foundation), an estimated 500 children and adolescents (ages 0–19) die every single day worldwide from road traffic injuries.
• In the same report, annual global deaths among children and adolescents (0–19 years) from road traffic injuries were estimated to be around 181,453 per year.
• Meanwhile, overall global road-traffic deaths remain high: about 1.19 million people die each year as a result of road crashes.
• Road-traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5–29 years globally.
• The burden is overwhelmingly borne by low- and middle-income countries: over 90% of child and adolescent road-traffic deaths occur in these countries.

Why early road-safety education for children is essential

• Children are especially vulnerable road users. Many children walk, cycle, ride motorcycles or tricycles, or travel as passengers. They are less visible, less predictable, and more easily impacted than adults especially when roads are busy, traffic is fast, or safety gear is lacking. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists) account for a large share of fatal crashes.

• Forming safe habits early saves lives. Teaching children to cross only at safe places, to always wear helmets or seatbelts, to be aware of traffic signals; these habits, once learned, can protect them immediately and for life.

• Education reduces inequity. Since over 90% of child road deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries — often where roads are less safe, teaching road safety is a critical, low-cost way to help children in the most vulnerable communities. 

• It helps families and communities. Knowledge gained by children often influences adults — for example, prompting parents or older siblings to drive more carefully, use seatbelts or helmets, or advocate for safer streets.

Each statistic represents a child, a son or daughter, a student, a friend whose life, education, dreams, and potential were cut short. Road-traffic injuries rob not only individuals but also families and communities of hope, opportunity, and well-being.

Educating children about road safety is one of the most effective, equitable, and achievable investments we can make. It costs little but can save thousands of lives. More than that, it safeguards children’s right to grow up, learn, explore, and thrive.

Every day that a child learns to cross the road safely, wear a helmet, or insist on a seatbelt, we reduce the chance they’ll become one of the tragic statistics. Global reports make the scale impossible to ignore as hundreds of thousands of children die on roads every year, and most of these deaths are preventable.

In 2025, with hundreds of thousands of child road deaths worldwide, we can no longer treat road-safety education as optional or secondary. It must be a central part of childhood — a shield against one of the deadliest threats children face.

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