Road Safety Country Profiles
Mexico 2023

Overview
In 2020, Mexico reached a record low in the number of road deaths, in part due to the Covid-19
pandemic and its impact on mobility. In 2022, Mexico reported 15 979 road deaths. Overall, since2010, the number of road deaths has been on a downward trend. Mexico adopted the new
General Law of Mobility and Road Safety in May 2022. A new strategy was developed and releasedin June 2023. It is based on the Safe System approach.
Note that data in this country profile come from the Mexican Transportation Institute (Instituto
Mexicano del Transporte [IMT]) and the Ministry of Health; IRTAD has yet to validate them.
Quick facts: Mexico (all data from 2022, unless otherwise stated)
Population

129.4 million

GDP per capita

USD 10 932
833 270 km

Road network

Total numberof motor
vehiclesSpeed limits
Limits on blood
alcohol content

Urban roads

Rural roads

Motorways

10%

89%

1%

55.2 million
Cars

Motorcycles

Goods vehicles

Buses

66%

12%

21%

1%

Urban roads

Rural roads

Motorways

20-80 km/h

60-110 km/h

110 km/h

General drivers

Professional drivers

Motorcyclists

0.5 grams/litre (g/l)

0.0 g/l

0.2 g/l

15 979Road fatalities

Pedestrians

Cyclists

Car occupants

Motorised twowheelers

Other
unknown

17%

1%

10%

15%

57%

Road fatalities
per 100 000
population

12.4

Road fatalities
per 10 000
vehicles2.9

Cost of roadcrashes

1.4% of GDP

andShort-term trends
Mobility and road safety in Mexico were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world in
2020. Figure 1 illustrates the number of road deaths in 2020, 2021 and 2022 compared to thelinear trend before the pandemic. It shows that the road death figure for 2020 and 2021 werevery much below the trend. However, in 2022, the number of deaths exceeds the trend andfigures reported before the pandemic.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mobility and road crashes, the data for 2020 and
2021 represent a poor reference point for benchmarking. Therefore, for short-term trends, thisreport compares data for 2022 with the average for 2017-19.
In 2022, data report that 15 979 people died in Mexico because of road crashes, an increase of 4%
over the average 2017-19. Analysing the monthly data, the only months that reported a decrease
were February and April, while the months with the most significant increases in the number offatalities were July, August and September, with increases of 10% or more in the number of deaths
compared to the average 2017-19, these months coincide with the summer holiday period, but
further analysis is needed to determine the influence this may have on the number of fatalities.
Table 1. Road fatalities in Mexico, 2017-2022
2017

2018

2019

Average2017-19

2020

2021

2022

2022 compared withaverage 2017-19

January

1 397

1 289

1 129

1 272

1 249

1 187

1 333

4.8%

February

1 223

1 258

1 174

1 218

1 138

1 092

1 092

-10.4%

March

1 353

1 436

1 278

1 356

1 295

1 354

1 393

2.8%

April

1 444

1 391

1 345

1 393

1 063

1 357

1 390

-0.2%

May

1 401

1 344

1 284

1 343

871

1 338

1 400

4.2%

June

1 275

1 290

1 179

1 248

1 033

1 177

1 315

5.4%

July

1 184

1 274

1 165

1 208

1 019

1 133

1 329

10.0%

August

1 286

1 226

1 060

1 191

1 108

1 166

1 320

10.9%

September

1 127

1 126

1 162

1 138

1 042

1 074

1 264

11.0%

October

1 283

1 237

1 225

1 248

1 233

1 194

1 288

3.2%

November

1 338

1 317

1 234

1 296

1 228

1 249

1 362

5.1%

December

1 555

1 386

1 438

1 460

1 351

1 394

1 493

2.3%

Total

15 86615 57414 67315 371.0

13 63014 71515 9794.0%

In 2022, according to provisional data from death certificates, the mortality rate was 12.4 deaths
per 100 000 inhabitants, representing an increase from the 2021 figures, and the risk factor was
2.9 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles (Figures 2 and 3).
Police data does not allow for analysis by user group, as in police records, 57% of road deaths are
not attributed to a user group (Figure 4). For those for whom the type of user is known, thehighest number of fatalities is recorded among vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists andmotorcyclists).
In contrast to previous years, in which young people between 18 and 24 years of age were themost at risk in traffic, in 2022, it is people over 75 years who report the highest mortality risk
group, with a rate of 20.1 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. When looking at the statistics by typeof user, it can be seen that most of the fatalities in this age range are pedestrians (Figure 6).
Figure 1. Road fatalities in Mexico in 2020, 2021 and 2022 compared to the linear trend
since 2012
17 000

16 00015 97915 00014 71514 00013 630
2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Road deaths

2017

2018

2019

Trends 2012-2022

2020

2021

2022

0

Iceland

Colombia

Chile

3

MexicoCosta Rica*

SerbiaArgentina

United States*

Hungary

New Zealand

Korea

IsraelGreece*Belgium

Luxembourg

Canada*FrancePoland*Czechia

Lithuania

Netherlands

Italy

Australia

Slovenia

Austria

Germany

Spain

Denmark

United Kingdom

Finland

Sw itzerland

Japan

Sw edenColombia

Costa Rica

United States

MexicoChile

Argentina

SerbiaNew Zealand

GreecePortugal

Luxembourg

Hungary

Italy

Korea

PolandCzechia

FranceCanadaBelgium

Lithuania

Australia

Netherlands

Austria

Slovenia

Spain

IsraelFinlandGermany

Ireland

Sw itzerland

United Kingdom

DenmarkJapan

Iceland

Sw edenNorw ay0

Norw ay

Figure 2. Road fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants in Mexico compared to other IRTAD
countries, 2022

16

12
12.4

8

4

Figure 3. Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles in Mexico compared to other IRTAD countries,
2022
5

4

2.9

2

1

Note: in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Hungary, registered vehicles do not include mopeds. * 2021 data.

Figure 4. Road fatalities in Mexico by user category, 2022

Pedestrians 17%

Cyclists 1%

Motorised tw o-w heelers 15%
Others incl. unknow n 57%

Passenger car occupants 10%

Figure 5. Road fatality rate in Mexico by user category and age group, 2022
Rate per 100 000 population in the same age group
30

20

10

0

0-14

15-17

Pedestrians

Cyclists

18-20

21-24

Motorised tw o-w heelers

25-64

Passenger car occupants

65-74

75+

Other users incl. unknow n

Road safety data 2012-22
Between 2012 and 2022, road deaths decreased by 6.6%. During the same period, the number ofmotor vehicles increased by nearly 58.2% (Figure 6).
A comparative analysis of 2012 versus 2022 shows a decrease of 6.6% in the number of road traffic
fatalities. Analysing the data by user category, it can be seen that registration errors haveincreased by 16.2% for 2012-22. On the other hand, it can be identified that motorcyclists killed inroad crashes are the users with the highest growth rate for the period, reporting an increase of
137.2% for the period analysed (Table 2).

Table 2. Crash, casualty and traffic data in Mexico, 2012-22
Evolution
2012-22

2012

2020

2021

2022

Fatalities

17 10213 63014 71515 979-6.6%

Injury crashes

103 91361 42170 40875 611-27.2%

Injured persons hospitalised

26 62521 42427 779..

..

Deaths per 100 000 population

14.6

10.7

11.4

12.4

-15.3%

Deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles

4.9

2.7

2.8

2.9

-40.9%

5 177

2 536

2 610

2 715

-47.6%

174

111

94

103

-40.8%

Motorised two-wheelers

1 037

1 982

2 233

2 460

137.2%

Passenger car occupants

2 824

1 505

1 742

1 535

-45.6%

Other road users

7 890

7 496

8 036

9 166

16.2%

0-14 years

1 312

681

769

786

-40.1%

15-17 years

761

625

658

741

-2.6%

18-20 years

1 263

1 016

1 109

1 128

-10.7%

21-24 years

1 776

1 398

1 426

1 505

-15.3%

25-64 years

9 681

8 187

8 983

9 776

1.0%

65-74 years

1 073

816

941

1 007

-6.2%

≥ 75 years

968

615

581

721

-25.5%

Urban roads

3 326

2 293

2 583

2 957

-11.1%

Rural roads

5 681

3 389

4 141

3 889

-31.5%

Motorways

1 010

866

975

755

-25.2%

Registered vehicles (thousands)

34 87651 21653 10355 167

58.2%

Registered vehicles per 1 000 population

297.4

400.7

412.9

426.4

43.4%

Reported safety data

Fatalities by road user
Pedestrians
Cyclists

Fatalities by age group

Fatalities by road type

Traffic data

Figure 6. Evolution of road fatalities in Mexico, motorisation and GDP, 2012-22
Index 2012 = 100
160

140

120

100

80

60
2012

2013

2014

2015

Fatalities

2016

2017

Injury crashes

2018

2019

Motor vehicles

2020

2021

2022

GDP

Safety performance indicators
Speed
Inappropriate speed is one of the leading causes of road crashes. In 2022, 16% of road crashes
on the federal highway network were attributed to excessive speed, according to the National
Guard. For this reason, the new mobility and road safety strategy considers managing speed toalways operate according to people's survival threshold.
Table 3 summarises the main speed limits for passenger cars in Mexico.

Table 3. Passenger car speed limits by road type in Mexico, 2023
General speed limit

Comments

20-80 km/h

20 km/h in school zones, 30 on secondary
and tertiary streets, 50 on primary avenues
without controlled access, 80 in central
lanes of controlled access avenues and 50
on state highways within urban roads

Rural roads

60-110 km/h

60 km/h on collector roads, 80 on state
highways outside urban areas, 50 within
urban areas, 110 on roads and motorways
under federal jurisdiction

Motorways

110 km/h

110 for car, 95 for buses and 80 for freighttransport on roads and highways underfederal jurisdiction

Urban roads

Drink driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol is another major cause of road crashes in Mexico.
According to the statistics office (INEGI), 5.4% of road crashes on urban and suburban roads in2022 were due to drunk drivers. However, it is important to note that the blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) level is not systematically reported in the case of fatal crashes. This figure is,therefore, likely to be underreported. In 2016, 11% of the 1 831 autopsies performed following
road crashes showed alcohol had been consumed. Moreover, 18% of emergency patients
involved in a traffic crash reported drinking alcohol during the previous six hours.
According to the General Law of Mobility and Road Safety, it is prohibited to drive with a blood
alcohol level higher than 0.25 mg/l in exhaled air or 0.5 g/l in blood without distinction between
novice and young drivers. For persons driving motorcycles, it is prohibited to drive with a blood
alcohol level higher than 0.1 mg/l in exhaled air or 0.2 g/l in blood. For vehicles intended forpassenger and cargo transportation, it is prohibited to drive with any concentration of alcohol
per exhaled air or litre of blood. A crash is defined as alcohol-related when one of the participants(including cyclists and pedestrians) has a BAC above the legal limit.
Limits on BAC are mainly enforced through alcohol breath tests conducted by the police on theroadside. In 2019, at least 20 6060 operations co-ordinated by STCONAPRA were implemented,
applying 843 216 breathalyser tests in the 32 federal entities in 172 of the 197 priority
municipalities. It was recorded that 16% of them were positive.
In 2022, the "Protocol for the implementation of breathalyser control points" was published by
the STCONAPRA to have an instrument that describes the methodological procedures to beconsidered for the homologation of breathalyser control points. Likewise, Article 49 of theGeneral Law of Mobility and Road Safety establishes the minimum measures that traffic
regulations must contain, and one of them is the obligation of the federal entities to carry out
breathalyser tests.

Drugs and driving
The Mexican authorities regularly check the federal highway network to test professional drivers'
physical and physiological conditions. However, there is no data available to estimate deaths due
to drugs.
The new General Law of Mobility and Road Safety provides campaigns to prevent traffic crashes
to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or any psychotropic or narcotic drug. It alsoestablishes in the traffic regulations that licenses may be withdrawn in case of driving under the
influence of alcohol or drugs.3.4. Use of mobile phones while driving.
An increasing problem for traffic safety in Mexico is the distraction of mobile phones while driving(there is no official definition of distracted driving). In Mexico, only hands-free devices are allowed
while driving. There is no data on the contribution of distracted driving to road crashes.
In 2021, the Guanajuato State Council for Accident Prevention (COEPRA-GTO) conducted an
observational study in eight municipalities, finding that in some cities, such as Dolores Hidalgo,
25% of drivers use distractors while driving, while in other municipalities, such as San Miguel deAllende, the use of distractors is present in more than 80% of drivers.

Fatigue
The share of sleepiness and fatigue as a causal factor in crashes is especially challenging todetect.
Of the crashes reported by the National Guard in 2022, "dozing" was recorded as the cause of
5.2% of crashes on the federal road network.

Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt wearing has been compulsory in Mexico since 2003 in front seats and since 2015 in rearseats. The wearing rate in 2017 was 79% for drivers, 65% for front-seat passengers and 46% forrear-seat passengers. Only 11% of children under 12 are estimated to be correctly seated with adedicated child restraint system. These figures suggest that much progress can still be made inincreasing seat belt use.
According to the INEGI, 12.7% of drivers involved in a crash on urban and suburban roads in 2022
did not wear a seat belt when the crash occurred. However, it is important to note that thisinformation was only available for 25% of road crashes.
For motorcyclists, helmet wearing is the most effective passive safety habit. In Mexico, helmets
have been compulsory for users of all motorised two-wheelers on the whole network (federal
highway network and urban and suburban roads) since 2012. In 2021, based on observational
surveys in the City of Puebla, 89% of motorcycle drivers and 82% of motorcycle passengers wore
helmets.
Bicycle helmets are not compulsory.

Table 4. Seat belt and helmet wearing rates in Mexico
Percentages
2016

2021

Driver81..

Passenger

49..

General6..

Riders of motorcycles

88

89

Passengers of motorcycles

58

82

Front seats

Rear seats

HelmetCost of road crashes
Traffic crashes represent considerable costs to Mexican society. In 2022, they were estimated at
USD 17.5 billion (1.4% of GDP). These costs are calculated based on a human capital approach, as
no studies are available on the statistical valuation of life using a willingness-to-pay approach.
Table 5. Cost of road crashes in Mexico, 2022
Unit Cost (USD)

NumberTotal cost (USD)

Fatalities

431 169

15 9796.9 billion

Injuries

107 792

98 74810.6 billion

Total
Total as % of GDP

17.5 billion
1.4%Road safety management and strategy
Evolution of road safety
A total of 15 000 deaths were recorded on average every year over the last 25 years. The numberof registered fatalities peaked in 2009 at 17 820.

Governance of road safety
As a federation, the responsibility for road safety management in Mexico lies with various actors.
Road safety responsibility is partly co-ordinated by the National Council for the Prevention of
Accidents (CONAPRA), the state councils for preventing crashes and the state agencies in chargeof crash prevention for urban and federal roads. In 2017, CONAPRA was strengthened andbecame a council with representatives from ten ministries working together to promote roadsafety. The actions carried out on federal roads are co-ordinated by the Ministry of Infrastructure,
Communications and Transport.
In 2022, the National System of Mobility and Road Safety was created with the publication of theGeneral Law on Mobility and Road Safety. It is a mechanism that co-ordinates the competentauthorities in mobility and road safety from the three levels of government and the relevant
sectors of society. The National System comprises the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban
Development; the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport; the Ministry of
Economy; the federative entities, and the person designated by the local Executive. The System
may also invite other mobility authorities to participate to speak and vote or only to speak. The
National System's presidency is exercised annually between the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial
and Urban Development and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport.

National road safety strategy
In 2011, Mexico launched its National Road Safety Strategy 2011-20, inspired by the Plan for the
Decade of Action for Road Safety. The Ministry of Communications and Transport and the Ministryof Health developed the strategy jointly. The main target of the action plan was to halve thenumber of fatalities on Mexican roads by 2020 and reduce as many injuries and disabilities fromroad crashes as possible. The target was not met.
The new General Law of Mobility and Road Safety (LGMSV) was published in the Official Gazetteof the Federation on 17 May 2022 (https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGMSV.pdf).
Its objective is to establish the basis for guaranteeing the right to safe mobility and inclusive
accessibility. The law adopts a Safe System approach. The law also sets speed limits by roadcategory.
Road safety is also included in Mexico's National Development Plan 2019-24(https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5596042&fecha=02/07/2020). Its priority is:"Contribute to social welfare through the construction, modernisation and maintenance of accessible,safe, efficient and sustainable road infrastructure, connecting people of any condition, with a vision ofregional and intermodal development."
In addition, the Ministry of Health Sector Program 2019-24 includes road safety as the main
objective is guaranteeing health.
In June 2023, the new National Strategy for Mobility and Road Safety (ENAMOV) 2023-2042(https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/848141/ENAMOV_2023-2042.pdf)
waspublished. The Strategy establishes the long-term vision and lays the foundations for developing
mobility and road safety in the country. Its main aim is to guarantee everyone's right to moveand have comprehensive mobility systems that, under equality, equity, and sustainability
conditions, allow for reducing inequality gaps in people's access to the right to mobility. The
Strategy prioritises the needs of vulnerable groups. Its effective implementation will result fromthe renewed commitment of the three levels of government to co-ordination and concurrencewith the social, private, and academic sectors.

Latest road safety measures
With the publication of the LGMSV in May 2022, forums for developing the national strategy were
held. These initiatives resulted in the publication of ENAMOV in June 2023 by the Ministry ofAgrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU).
In 2023, worktables were held to address specific situations of road crashes, especially on the
Mexico - Queretaro highway.
In 2023, Operation 30 Delta, carried out by the SICT and the National Guard, will be carried out
not only during the holiday season but also frequently to perform medical examinations andBreathalyzer tests on drivers of federal public transportation travelling on the general roads.
In September 2023, the SICT and SEDATU concluded and published the Mexican Official Standard"NOM 034-SCT2/SEDATU-2022, Signage and road devices for streets and highways", which
establishes the general requirements to be considered for designing and implementing signage
and road devices on streets and highways of federal, state and municipal jurisdiction.
In May 2022, the General Law of Mobility and Road Safety (LGMSV) was published in the Official
Gazette of the Federation.
With the publication of the LGMSV in 2022, Article 64 of the traffic regulations of Mexico City
(CDMX) includes an awareness workshop for violators of exceeding the speed limit, notrespecting the right of way, driving under the influence of alcohol and not using safety elements
when riding a motorcycle.
Since 2021, the National Alliance for Road Safety (ANASEVI) has conducted dialogues with relevantroad safety issues aligned with the second decade of action for road safety 2021-2030.
In 2019, the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) published the"Manual de calles completas" (Road Design for Mexican Cities), which contains the guiding axes tobuild more human urban streets that integrate the needs of all users.
In 2018, the SICT finalised and published the Mexican Official Standard "NOM-087-SCT-2-2017,
which establishes driving times and breaks for drivers of federal auto transportation services",
providing guidelines to regulate driving times and breaks for professional drivers.
In 2018, the General Directorate of Technical Services (DGST) of the SICT updated and publishedthe Highway Geometric Project Manual that establishes guidelines for designing new roads ormodernising existing roads.
Also in 2018, the DGST of the SICT developed and published the Road Safety Audit Manual, whichdocuments the systematic and technical procedure to be applied to check the safety conditionsof a road project at whatever stage it is at to ensure that the road is designed, built and operated
with optimal safety criteria for all users.
In 2018, the Ministry of Health finalised and published the Mexican Official Standard "NOM-206SCFI/SSA2-2018, Safety helmets for preventing and immediately addressing head injuries inmotorcyclists. Health promotion actions. Safety specifications and test methods, commercial.
Information and labelling".

Research and resources
Publications
Ministry of Health (2023), Report on the road safety situation in Mexico, 2021,
https://www.gob.mx/salud/documentos/informe-sobre-la-situacion-de-la-seguridad-vialmexico-2021-331817
SEDATU,
BID(2019),
Manualofstreets.
Road
designfor
Mexicanhttps://www.bibliocad.com/en/library/manual-of-streets-road-design-for-mexicancities_151858/

cities,IMT (2023), Evaluation of truck stops for compliance with driving and rest times, Technical Publication
No. 755,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ3NTUucG
Rm
IMT (2022), Road safety campaign to promote the use of child restraint systems, Technical Publication
No. 717,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ3MTcucG
Rm
IMT (2022), Road safety audits in work zone on the México - Querétaro highway, Technical Publication
No. 716,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ3MTYucG
Rm
IMT (2022), Road safety recommendations for emergency braking ramps on highways, TechnicalPublication No. 708,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ3MDgucG
Rm
IMT (2022), Best Practices For work zone flagger in Mexico, Technical Publication No. 701,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ3MDEucG
Rm
IMT (2022), Accidents due to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs on the federal highway
https://imt.mx/descargasystem,
Technical
Publication
No.
697,
archivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ2OTcucGRm
IMT (2021), Real time road accident data acquisition system, Technical Publication No. 663,
https://imt.mx/descarga-

archivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ2NjMucGRm
IMT (2021), Estimation of the impact on road safety of improvements made at conflict sites by the SICT
in the last few years, Technical Publication No. 660, https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ2NjAucGRm
IMT (2021), analysis of road crashes reported by WAZE, Technical Publication No. 649,
https://imt.mx/descargaarchivo.html?l=YXJjaGl2b3MvUHVibGljYWNpb25lcy9QdWJsaWNhY2lvblRlY25pY2EvcHQ2NDkucG
Rm
Other research from ITF can be found here: https://imt.mx/publicacion.html.

Websites
MexicanTransportation
https://www.gob.mx/imt

Institute(Instituto

MexicanodelTransporte,

IMT):

Ministry of Health (Secretaría de Salud): http://www.gob.mx/salud/
National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, INEGI):
http://www.inegi.org.mx
Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication and Transport (Secretaría de Infraestructura,
Comunicaciones y Transportes, SICT): https://www.gob.mx/sct
GeneralLaw
onMobility
andRoad
https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGMSV.pdf

Safety(LGMSV):

Mobility
andRoad
SafetyStrategy(ENAMOV):
https://www.gob.mx/sedatu/documentos/estrategia-nacional-de-movilidad-y-seguridadvial?state=published

Definition, methodology, data collection
Term

Definition

Road deathAny person who dies following a road crash. When a person does not die atthe crash scene but instead at, or on the way to, the hospital, they arereported as an injured person. In this report, road fatalities are registered in
the National Health Information System (SINAIS) and recorded as caused bya motor vehicle traffic crash, according to the International Classification of
Diseases (10th Revision) codes.

Person injured

A person suffering minor or severe injuries following a road crash.

The primary sources of information for road crashes are the National Institute of Statistics andGeography (INEGI) for urban and suburban areas and the National Guard for federal regions.
Crash statistics include data on the date and time of the crash, location, type of crash, vehicle

type, crash contributing factors, road user category and condition of the casualties (injured or
killed). INEGI is also in charge of compiling statistics at a national level.
Crash data for urban and suburban areas are collected on an INEGI form through the state andmunicipal safety and traffic agencies. Crash statistics are compiled based on the Organization ofAmerican States (OAS) recommendations.
Crashes occurring on the federal road network are reported in a different form through theregional offices of the National Guard (140 locations around the country). These crash forms arethen processed in the crash database for federal roads.
Mexico has no integrated road crash database that collates data from INEGI and the National
Guard. As both systems (INEGI and the National Guard) have different variables and definitions,
it is difficult to obtain a precise count of the total number of crashes in the country. The mostaccurate data source on road deaths and serious injuries is the Ministry of Health's database
based on health certificates and hospital discharges. Injury data are recorded based on theInternational Classification of Diseases (10th Revision).
Efforts are underway to improve data collection and monitoring of road crashes. As part of theRoad Safety Programme 2013-18, 32 state observatories have operated since 2018. By 2021, only
22 had reported activities, 14 had held several meetings during the year, and eight had submitted
their final reports. By the end of 2021, four states had a data management platform.
On 4 June 2021, the format for reporting traffic incidents used by the National Guard was
published in the Official Gazette of the federation, thus making progress in standardising thecollection of information, as the format is available for consultation by the other state andmunicipal police forces that collect information in urban and suburban areas. The new generallaw on mobility and road safety and the new strategy consider the development of a national
protocol/guidelines to have a standardised process for the registration of traffic crashes in thethree levels of government, based on standardised statistical and geospatial tools (roads,
vehicles, and type of victim user, socio-demographic characteristics, and economic costs).

About the IRTAD Database
The IRTAD Database includes road safety data, aggregated by country and year from 1970
onwards. It provides an empirical basis for international comparisons and more effective roadsafety policies.
The IRTAD Group validates data for quality before inclusion in the database. At present, thedatabase includes validated data from 35 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
The data is provided in a common format based on definitions developed and agreed by the
IRTAD Group. Selected data is available for free; full online access requires IRTAD membership.
Access the IRTAD Database via the OECD statistics portal:
https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=IRTAD_CASUAL_BY_AGE

About the International Transport ForumThe International Transport Forum (ITF) is an intergovernmental organisation with 66 member
countries that organises global dialogue for better transport. It acts as a think tank for transport
policy and hosts the Annual Summit of transport ministers. The ITF is the only global body thatcovers all transport modes. The ITF is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politicallyautonomous.
www.itf-oecd.org

About the IRTAD GroupThe International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis (IRTAD) Group is the ITF's permanent working
group for road safety. It brings together road safety experts from national road administrations,road safety research institutes, international organisations, automobile associations, insurancecompanies, car manufacturers, etc. With 80 members and observers from more than 40
countries, the IRTAD Group is a central force in promoting international co-operation on roadcrash data and its analysis.
www.itf-oecd.org/irtad

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official
views of International Transport Forum member countries. This document and any map included
herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitationof international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Data in this country profile have been provided by countries to the database of the International
Traffic Safety Data and Analysis (IRTAD) Group. Where data has not been independently validatedby IRTAD, this is indicated.
Read more country profiles online:
https://www.itf-oecd.org/road-safety-annual-report-2023

Last updated: 21 September 2023

© OECD/ITF 2024

Cite this work as: ITF (2024), "Mexico: Road Safety Country Profile 2023", OECD Publishing, Paris.

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