Road Safety Country Profiles
Chile 2023

Overview
Chile recorded 2 137 road deaths in 2022, an increase of 9.5% compared to the average 2017-19.
The biggest increases were recorded for passenger car occupants and motorised two-wheeler
users. In 2017, Chile updated its National Road Safety Policy. Chile subscribed to the Safe Systemapproach and adopted its principles. It held Vision Zero as its long-term goal regarding roadtraffic deaths and seriously injured people.
Quick facts: Chile (all data from 2022, unless otherwise stated)
Population

19.8 million

GDP per capita

USD 15 164

Total numberof motor
vehiclesSpeed limits
Limits on blood
alcohol content

6.1 million
Cars

Motorcycles

Goods vehicles

Buses

68%

4%

26%

2%

Urban roads

Rural roads

Motorways

30-50 km/h

90-100 km/h

120 km/h

General drivers

Professional drivers

Novice drivers

0.3 grams/litre (g/l)

0.3 g/l

0.3 g/l

2 137Road fatalities

Pedestrians

Cyclists

Car occupants

Motorised twowheelers

Other
and
unknown

28%

3%

36%

13%

20%

Road fatalities
per 100 000
population

10.8

Road fatalities
per 10 000
vehicles3.5

Cost of roadcrashes

2.2% of GDP

Short-term trends
Mobility and road safety in Chile were significantly 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 comparedto the linear trend before the pandemic. It shows that road death figures for 2020 were very much
below the trend. However, by 2021, they were back on the trend.
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 and 2021 with the average for 2017-19.

There were 2 137 road deaths in 2022, an increase of 9.5% compared to the average for 2017-19.
The evolution in the number of fatalities varied widely depending on the type of road user. The
number of car occupants and users of powered two-wheelers killed increased by more than 35%,
while the number of cyclists and pedestrians killed decreased by 35% and 12.6% (Figure 2). This
could be partly explained by the changes in mobility behaviour that occurred during the Covid19 pandemic. Users shifted from public transport to other means, such as powered two-wheelers
and cars.
In 2022, Chile had a mortality rate of 10.8 deaths per 100 000 population, one of the highest
among IRTAD countries. Chile recorded 3.5 road deaths per 10 000 registered motor vehicles(Figures 3 and 4).
Figure 1. Road fatalities in Chile in 2020, 2021 and 2022 compared to the linear trend since
2012

2 137
2 100
2 052

2 000

1 900

1 794

1 800
2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Road deaths

2017

2018

2019

Trends 2012-2022

2020

2021

2022

Norw ay0

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

United States

12

Argentina

SerbiaNew Zealand

GreecePortugal

Luxembourg

Hungary

User category

Italy

Korea

PolandCzechia

FranceCanadaBelgium

Lithuania

Australia

Netherlands

Austria

Slovenia

Spain

IsraelFinlandGermany

Ireland

Sw itzerland

United Kingdom

DenmarkJapan

Iceland

Sw eden

75+

65-74

25-64

21-24

18-20

15-17

0-14

PTW

Passenger cars

Cyclists

Pedestrians

Figure 2. Evolution of road fatalities in Chile by user category and age group, 2022
compared to the average 2017-19

40

20

0

-20

-40

Age group

Total number of road deaths

Figure 3. Road fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants in Chile compared to other IRTAD
countries, 2022

16

10.8

8

4

Iceland0

Colombia

4

Chile

Costa 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 edenNorw ay

Figure 4. Road fatalities per 10 000 registered vehicles in Chile compared to other IRTAD
countries, 2022
5

3.5

3

2

1

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

Figure 5. Road fatalities in Chile by user category, 2022

Others incl. unknow n 20%
Pedestrians 28%

Cyclists 3%

Passenger car occupants 36%

Motorised tw o-w heelers 13%

Figure 6. Road fatality rate in Chile by user category and age group, 2022
Rate per 100 000 population in the same age group

15

10

5

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, the number of road deaths decreased overall by 8%. However, theevolution was very different depending on the road users. The number of pedestrians and cyclists
killed in traffic respectively reduced by 20.9% and 34.2%, while the number of car occupants killedincreased by 46.5% and the number of motorcyclists almost doubled from 146 in 2012 to 283 in
2022. This is a very worrying situation as the motorcycle vehicle fleet continues to increase.

Table 1. Crash, casualty and traffic data in Chile, 2012-22
2012

2020

2021

2022

Evolution
2012-22

Reported safety data
Fatalities

1 979

1 794

2 052

2 137

8.0%

Injury crashes

34 59128 87035 53036 199

4.6%

Deaths per 100 000 population

11.3

9.2

10.4

10.8

-5.0%

Deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles

5.1

3.3

3.4

3.5

-31.5%

Pedestrians

757

493

486

599

-20.9%

Cyclists

111

132

90

73

-34.2%

Motorised two-wheelers

146

252

268

283

93.8%

Passenger car occupants

520

607

758

762

46.5%

Other road users

446

310

450

420

-5.8%

0-14 years

118

49

64

66

-44.1%

15-17 years

35

36

29

34

-2.9%

18-20 years

96

83

90

74

-22.9%

21-24 years

142

176

199

184

29.6%

25-64 years

1 256

1 170

1 319

1 398

11.3%

65-74 years

161

130

157

204

26.7%

≥ 75 years

111

84

96

109

-1.8%

770

754

802

623

-19.1%

1 209

1 040

1 250

1 514

25.2%

Registered vehicles (thousands)

3 886

5 479

5 981

6 127

57.7%

Registered vehicles per 1 000 population

222.8

281.6

303.9

309.0

38.7%

Fatalities by road user

Fatalities by age group

Fatalities by road type
Urban roads
Roads outside urban areas
Traffic data

Figure 7. Evolution of road fatalities, motorisation and GDP in Chile, 2012-22
Index 2012 = 100
160

140

120

100

80

2012

2013

2014

2015

Fatalities

2016

2017

Injury crashes

2018

2019

Motor vehicles

2020

2021

2022

GDP

Figure 8. Evolution of road fatalities in Chile by user category, age group and road type,2012-2022
100
80
60
40
20
0

User category

Age group
Total number of road deaths

75+

65-74

25-64

21-24

18-20

15-17

0-14

PTW

Passenger cars

Cyclists

Pedestrians-20

Safety performance indicators
Speed
Inappropriate speed is one of the leading causes of road crashes. A study conducted by Chile's
Automobile Club in 2020 in the biggest city of Chile, Santiago, revealed that 60% of drivers exceed
the speed limit in urban areas at any given time. The study also showed speeding was equallypresent in men and women and different age groups.
Speeding is estimated to be responsible for around 30% of fatal crashes. In the last decade (20132022), speeding has been the leading cause of death, with 4 699 road fatalities attributed to it.
In August 2018, the Chilean Congress approved a bill to reduce the urban speed limit from 60 to
50 km/h – an initiative the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications had pursued for many
years. By 2022, fatalities attributed to inappropriate speed in urban areas have decreased by 20%
compared to the previous year of this law's passing.
Table 2 summarises the main speed limits for passenger cars in Chile.
Table 2. Passenger car speed limits by road type in Chile, 2023
General speed limit

Comments

Urban roads

50 km/h

50 km/h is the maximum default limit but
can vary according to the type of road.
30 km/h is for school zones

Rural roads

100 km/h

90 km/h for rural buses, trucks and schooltransport

Motorways

120 km/h

It can vary in some sections of the road.
According to the type of road, it can belowered to 100 km/h

Drink driving
A traffic crash is defined as alcohol-related when either a driver or another person involved in thecrash (including motorcyclists, cyclists or pedestrians) has a measurable or estimated BAC of 0.3
g/l or above.
In 2012, the government of Chile introduced a new law to support a zero-tolerance policy for drink
driving. It sets the maximum permissible BAC at 0.3 g/l. The law defines driving under the
influence of alcohol as driving with a BAC between 0.3 g/l and 0.8 g/l. Driving while intoxicated isdefined as driving with a BAC of 0.8 g/l or higher and entails much harsher sanctions. Sanctions
associated with this law are related to licence suspension or annulment.
The number of fatalities due to drink driving declined by almost 30% with the introduction of thezero-tolerance law, from 267 in 2011 to 192 in 2012. The share of alcohol-related fatalities has
stabilised at around 10% of total fatalities in recent years. In 2022, 136 road deaths (6.4% of totalroad deaths) were related to alcohol and driving.

In 2014, the so-called Emilia's Law was implemented to punish drunk drivers responsible forserious injury or fatal crashes more severely. This new law complements the zero-tolerance law
enacted in 2012 and increases sanctions for drunk driving, including disqualifying the driver forlife. The driver is also subject to at least one year of imprisonment. In addition, fleeing the sceneor refusing an alcohol test is now a criminal offence. The law has strengthened the effect of thezero-tolerance law.

Drugs and driving
Currently, there is no systematic drug test process following a crash. This procedure is ad hoc at
the judge's request in charge of the investigation. Therefore, the estimate based on police datathat only 0.6% of deaths are attributed to driving under the influence of drugs is largely
underestimated. Also, a road crash is defined as being caused by drugs only when the police see
the act of consuming or any physical evidence of drug consumption that can lead to a judicial
drug test order.
In April 2019, a new drug test device using saliva was launched to test drivers. The substances
detected by this device include cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamines andamphetamines. During 2022, 3 588 tests were performed on drivers and 22% of the total tested
positive for the presence of substances. Some sample bias cannot be ruled out yet, as drug testinghas just become more common and regularly performed.

Use of mobile phones while driving
In 2022, distracted driving was recorded in police data as the main contributing factor for 341
road fatalities (16% of total fatalities) and 2 312 serious injuries, representing an increase of 27%
in deaths and 13% in serious injuries compared to 2021 data. Chilean traffic law considers driving
while using a mobile phone a severe traffic violation unless using a hands-free device.
An observational study undertaken in 16 regions of the country in 2021 revealed that 19% of lightvehicle drivers use their cell phones while driving.

Fatigue
According to police data, around 3% of traffic deaths in 2022 were related to fatigue. This figure
is probably underreported because it is difficult for the police to discern the physical condition ofdrivers when crashes occur.

Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt use has been compulsory for front seats since 1985 and rear seats since 2005. A survey
undertaken in 2021 showed that the wearing rate was 86% for drivers, 72% for front-seatpassengers and around 21% for rear-seat passengers. The survey also revealed disparities
between regions.
Until 2015, children under nine had to be seated in the rear seat and adequately restrained. Since
March 2016, children up to 12 must be seated in the rear seat. Since 2017, the obligation to usechild restraints has been applied to children from 0 to 9 years of age or those under 135 cm talland weighing less than 33 kg.
Helmet use by all riders of motorised two-wheelers has been compulsory since 1985, when thetransit law was published. The helmet wearing rate was 99% for riders and 87% for passengers in
the last study in 2021. These rates are lower than the rates reported in the previous studies.
For cyclists, helmets have been required since 2005, but only in urban areas.
Table 3. Seat belt and helmet wearing rates in Chile
Percentages
2015

2021

Driver76

86

Passenger

59

72

General14

21

Riders of motorcyclists

99

95

Passengers of motorcyclists

98

87

Front seats

Rear seats

HelmetCost of road crashes
CONASET has reviewed several methodologies to assess the cost of road crashes. As a starting
point, it uses the 2011 "Simplified Methodology for Estimating the Social Benefits of Reducing
Crashes in Interurban Road Projects" from the Road and Urban Transport Programme of the
Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Social Development. Thismethodology considers material damage to vehicles, treatment of injured people, administrative
costs and loss of productivity (i.e. the human capital approach). In addition, CONASET uses thewillingness-to-pay approach to evaluate the benefit of preventing road death, based on a 2014
study commissioned by the vice minister of the environment.
Based on this methodology, the estimated cost of traffic crashes for 2022 was USD 6.6 billion(2.2% of GDP).

Road safety management and strategy
Evolution of road safety
Between 2000 and 2022, fatalities in Chile fluctuated with no clear trend emerging. This is partly
explained by the exponential increase in vehicles and motorcycles on the roads during the same
period.

Governance of road safety
Chile's responsibility for road safety lies with the National Road Safety Commission (Comisión
Nacional de Seguridad de Tránsito or CONASET), an inter-ministerial body created as apresidential advisory commission through Supreme Decree 223 of 27 December 1993.
CONASET has a ministerial committee of 10 ministers (Ministry of Interior Affairs, Ministry of theGeneral Secretariat of the Presidency, Ministry of the General Secretariat of Government, Ministryof Education, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Housing
and Urban Development, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications),
plus the National Police General Director. The Minister of Transport and Telecommunications
leads CONASET, and CONASET's Executive Secretary is in charge of the National Road Safety
Strategy 2021-2030, which is agreed upon by the board.

Road safety strategy
In 2017, Chile updated its National Road Safety Policy, as the previous one was written in 1993
and served as the general strategy guide with very few updates. This new policy was createdthrough a participative process with representatives of public and private entities, citizens'
associations, road traffic victims' associations, experts, and relevant road safety stakeholders.
With this new road safety policy, Chile subscribed to the Safe System approach and adopted its
principles. It held Vision Zero as its long-term goal regarding road traffic deaths and seriously
injured people.
This new policy delivered a concrete framework for developing a concrete strategy and actionplans focused on the five strategic pillars established in the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The
development of this strategy and action plans seek to serve as a guideline for all actions related
to road safety carried out in Chile, with measurable targets and timeframes to meet such targets.
It includes a new target to reduce road fatalities by 30% by 2030 compared to the average number
in 2011-19. In addition to the new target, the strategy sets out several measures, initiatives andindicators that will contribute to reaching the target.

Latest road safety measures
In 2023, Congress passed legislation to allow for automated speed control management. The
entry of this law into force will be 90 days after the last regulation is published. Currently, theseregulations are under review.
An agreement was signed with the program for victims' assistance of the Vice Ministry of Crime
Prevention that will provide psychological, social and legal attention to those who are victims ofa Quasi-delict of murder caused by a road traffic incident throughout the country.
An update of Decree 26 that establishes safety elements applicable to motorised vehicles isindicated in Decree 211 and Decree 54.
A public-private partnership named National Pact for Road Safety was launched in 2022. This
gathered private and public sector efforts to contribute to Chile's road safety.

A law against unauthorised car races and reckless speed was passed in 2022. This law seeksharder punishment for organisers, attendants and participants of unauthorised car races andpeople who drove at a reckless speed of 60 km/h above the speed limit.
A law on advertisements visible from roads, streets or public spaces was passed in 2022. This
regulates several aspects of the publicity that can be placed on public spaces so that it does not
become a road safety problem.
The law "No Chat", which considers driving while using a mobile phone a severe traffic violation
unless using a hands-free device, was passed in 2021. The regulation establishing specifics to thecontrol of drivers using a mobile phone while driving was published in 2022.
In 2022, it became mandatory to have an anti-lock braking system (ABS) or combined braking
system (CBS) for all motorcycles.
Regulation related to management and traffic safety conditions for cycle lanes and technicalspecifications for the safety elements for users of cycles was published in 2021. These included
helmet accreditation for users of cycles and additional devices for transporting children.
Three-point seatbelts for interurban buses and public and private transport of passengers
became mandatory in 2021.
The "Ambassadors of Road Safety" education program was executed in 2021 and 2022.

Research and resources
Publications
CONASET (2023), New guide for cyclists, https://mejoresconductores.conaset.cl/#/Ciclos
CONASET (2022), Public Opinion Study on Road Safety in Chile, https://www.conaset.cl/wpcontent/uploads/2023/03/Informe-Final_SEGURIDAD-VIAL-2022_Cadem.pdf
CONASET (2021), Observational study of different vehicle drivers to generate road safety policy
recommendations - Seat belts results and child restraint systems, https://www.conaset.cl/wpcontent/uploads/2022/01/Presentaci%C3%B3n-Resultados-2021-Cintur%C3%B3n-y-SRI.pdf
CONASET (2021), Observational study of different vehicle drivers to generate road safety policy
https://www.conaset.cl/wprecommendationsMotorcycle
results,
content/uploads/2022/01/Presentaci%C3%B3n-Resultados-2021-Cintur%C3%B3n-y-SRI.pdf

Websites
CONASET: https://www.conaset.cl/
Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications: https://www.mtt.cl/Definition, methodology, data collection
Term

Definition

Road death

A person who dies from a traffic crash within 48 hours after the crashoccurred. To conform to the international definition, a death occurring within
30 days of a road crash, CONASET applies a correction factor of 1.2.

Person seriously injured

A person who is hospitalised for more than 24 hours.

According to the Chilean Penal Code, a serious injury occurs when a person has a disease orcannot work (disabled) for over 30 days due to a crash.
Following a traffic crash, the police (Carabineros de Chile) at the crash site are required to use
the Data Collection Form of Road Traffic Accidents (SIEC 2). The information is later entered andstored in the police road traffic crash database. In crashes involving deaths or serious injuries,
the crash report is sent by the police to the relevant judges.

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: 14 February 2024

© OECD/ITF 2024

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

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