According to the World Health Organization and World Bank, traffic accidents will become the third biggest cause of premature death by 2020, rising from a rank of nine today. By far the largest number of victims are pedestrians and cyclists (both motor-powered and not), and the greatest number of fatalities occur in poorer countries. More than 1 million people died in traffic accidents in low- and middle-income countries in 2002 compared to 117,000 in high-income countries. Poorer countries have far fewer vehicles per capita, but their roads are in worse condition and safety standards are lower and not so vigorously enforced. The most dangerous regions to drive, according to statistics from 2000, are Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.
