Mike Bloomberg in 2010-2020 Mayor's Office Websites

On Foreign Policy: Partner with World Bank: reduce traffic fatalities worldwide

Around the world, road traffic injuries are taking the lives of 145 people every hour of every day. That adds up to something like 1.3 million people dying on the world's roads each year--and a further 20 to 50 million people suffering injuries, often debilitating ones. But make no mistake about it: this is a problem that affects us all--especially the world's poorest. 90% of these fatalities occur in the world's rapidly urbanizing low- and middle-income nations.

Our record of improving safety in New York encouraged me to try to replicate this same success around the world, and it also inspired us to act at the fact that road safety has not typically been a top priority--yet the number of lives that could potentially be saved is incredible.