General background
Based on information from the World Health Organization (WHO)
The number of accidents and their aftermath constitutes a worldwide economic and social disaster.

Figures for 2009
1.3 million killed.
50 million injured.
500 billion $ in economic damages

The struggle against road accidents
Raising awareness regarding accidents resulted in many technological improvements in the automotive industry.

The changes include:
1. Strengthening and improving the vehicle structure.
2. Integrating passive system to reduce damages.
3. Integrating control and monitoring systems.
4. Integrating active systems to prevent road accidents.

The results
Based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there has been a decrease of 9% in the number of people killed between 2005 and 2009. This is also true for Europe, Japan and the rest of the developed countries. However, this is not the whole picture. The Police have been reporting only on accidents with casualties. Based on information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in these years there has been a decrease in the number of lawsuits due to road accidents. The increasing amount of vehicles causes an increase in the number of accidents. The struggle against accidents is an ongoing one, and there is much work to be done before we see it through.