Are traffic fatalities getting worse? Posted on December 3, 2018 by Andrew Findley According to the World Health Organization, 1.25 million people are killed in road traffic deaths every year. It’s the #1 cause of death among people aged 15-29. Nearly half of those killed are so-called “vulnerable road users,” such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Why isn’t more being done to bring down this high rate of fatalities? Salon takes a look at the issue in this article. While engineering exists to help bring down the traffic fatality rate, it turns out the real issue behind the problem might be politics.