The Correlation between Governance Quality and Road Fatalities

As part of the effort to stabilise worldwide road fatality rates the World Health Organization has highlighted the need for comprehensive in-country laws addressing five key risk factors: speed, drink driving, motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints. However, the effectiveness of laws covering these five key factors may be dependent on the governance of the country implementing these laws.
This study sought to determine if there is a correlation between governance and road fatality rates. To do this, data on six governance indices from the World Bank and road fatality rates from the World Health Organization covering over 176 countries was obtained. A Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed on this data. The findings indicate that there is a negative correlation between key governance indices and road fatality rates. The finding from this study highlights the importance of good governance as part of the effort to reduce worldwide fatality rates.