Notes about road safety: A review from the social sciences

This article aims to suggest a critical approach to the concept of road safety. The lack of road safety is a serious public health problem in the world. It is also a cause of inequality between countries and between social groups. Despite the efforts of local, national and international authorities to eradicate traffic accidents, the problem persists and the gaps are growing. The lack of solutions is not only due to the scarcity of resources. Moreover, theoretical and analytical approaches are wrong; thus, solutions are not going to the roots of the problem, and are only pointing to the symptoms. The article justifies the need for a conceptual shift in the analysis and treatment of road safety, by including a social sciences perspective, where systemic analysis is essential.