Right Turn to Health Puts the Brakes on Traffic Crashes
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.19 million people worldwide die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. For children and adults aged 5-29 years, it is the leading cause of death globally.¹ In response, the nonprofit organization Right Turn to Health (RTH) was created with the goal of reducing fatalities and making road travel safer, particularly in underprivileged communities and areas with a high volume of road accidents.
Founded in 2023 by Marie-Jose Diangana, Favour Aniasonwa, Theodore Castro and Megan Sadler, Right Turn to Health aims to raise awareness about road accident fatalities, connect communities with resources and forge partnerships in order to prevent road accidents and save lives.
“I always thought…diseases such as malaria and others were the leading cause of death among low-socioeconomic [communities], but to my shock, it was car crashes, and it included developing countries. I was expecting everything, but not car crashes,” Diangana said. “Too little is being done to eradicate crash accidents. Thus, Right Turn to Health is dedicated to solving this issue that is claiming so many lives.”
RTH is still a young organization, but it is working hard to implement programming to encompass education, first aid training, youth leadership/research, and more. As of now, the founders’ plans include: facilitating first aid training courses in schools, organizing presentations that spotlight survivors of road traffic accidents, and setting up collaborative youth leadership and research programs for college students—with more to come.
According to Diangana, low-socioeconomic populations are disproportionately affected, even in high-income countries. RTH’s initiatives will focus on the demographics most affected by road traffic accidents: youths and young adults, primarily in underprivileged populations and locations that have the highest car crash fatality rates. Then, “the impact of these solutions will extend to the general public due to their powerful nature,” Diangana said. “The pilot project aims to continue progress both nationally and globally.”
To learn more and support Right Turn to Health, please visit their page on our website, linked here.
Sources:
¹ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024. “Global Road Safety.” https://www.cdc.gov/transportation-safety/global/index.html#:~:text=Each%20year%2C%201.19%20million%20people,for%20individuals%20ages%205%2D29.