Effects of Urbanization on Road Traffic Injury Rates (RTI)

Abstract

Urbanization has greatly altered global demography and lifted the living standards, which have helped in economic growth, healthcare access and wider educational prospects. However, despite these benefits, the rapid urban expansion exerts a tremendous threat to road safety, especially in cities that experience a significantly higher rate of population growth compared to infrastructure development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between the levels at which there is urbanization and road traffic injury rates and to attempt to identify any underlying patterns and critical risk factors. The approach of combining extensive statistical analysis across many geographical units with qualitative insight from interviews with experienced urban planners and transportation engineers is a mixed-methods one. It is a multifaceted and dynamic relationship, as our findings show. In the first and second stages of urbanization, RTI rates rise sharply because of increased motorization, congested roads, poor public transportation and heavy, relaxed traffic regulations. However, as cities develop their road infrastructure better, traffic management systems and developed policy interventions, a dramatic decrease in RTI is observed. Road density, traffic congestion, the severity of safety law enforcement, and how exhausted obscure public transport systems are key determinants of this trend. The study presents that an integrated proactive urban planning approach is necessary for the general management of the negative impacts of urbanisation in road safety. Road safety infrastructure, implementation of targeted safety interventions, and promotion of sustainable transport policies are essential. Cities can therefore effectively reduce road traffic injuries and make their urban environment safer during transitional phases if they tackle these critical areas.