Travel Safety
For some people, the notion of traveling to distant lands conjures up visions of terrorist attacks, anti-western sentiment, gun-toting rebels, rampant crime, disease, famine, and every other negative image that many of us are bombarded with on the nightly news.
It may come as a surprise to many that, while these things certainly do exist in pockets of the world, traveling in foreign countries is statistically no more dangerous than staying right in your hometown. The most dangerous aspects of travel, illnesses and accidents, are pretty much the same dangers that can befall a person regardless of whether they are at home or abroad
Injuries & Accidents
According to US government statistics, "Injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world, and they are the leading cause of preventable deaths in travelers. An estimated 5 million people lost their lives from injuries in 2000, for an overall mortality rate of 83.7 per 100,000. More than 90% of these injury deaths occur in lower and middle-income countries. Worldwide, among persons ages 15-44, injuries account for 6 of the 15 leading causes of death. Injuries can be divided into unintentional and intentional. Examples of the former include road traffic accidents, falls, fires, poisoning, and drowning; examples of the latter are interpersonal and self-inflicted violence."
Motor vehicle accidents and injuries are the leading causes of death for travelers younger than 55. When traveling in other parts of the world, it’s not unusual to see automobile accidents by the side of the road. Even in the US, home to some of the world’s best maintained roads, strictest driving laws, safest drivers, and advanced automobile safety features, automobiles kill thousands and injure millions of people each year.