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An average of 28 people were victims of accidents every day in 2010 on Jakarta’s treacherous streets, with almost three dying daily as a result.

With these grim statistics in mind, the city on Wednesday announced a road safety campaign, as this nation joins 70 others to kick off the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-20 by the World Health Organization and its United Nations Road Safety Collaboration.

Sarwo Handayani, who heads the local regional development office, said the city was taking the situation very seriously. “We want to reduce the level of accidents with the cooperation of people, especially road users, and the joint commitment of all stakeholders.”

According to data cited by Sarwo, the number of traffic accidents in the capital rose from 7,329 cases in 2009 to 8,235 last year, a 12.4 percent increase.

The number of victims also rose by 7.5 percent from 9,624 in 2009 to 10,346 in 2010, she said.

The only progress seen was in the reduction in fatalities — down by 2.1 percent to 1,048 last year. However, this is still much higher than the 380 fatalities in the Philippine capital of Manila over the same period.

The UN General Assembly last year declared 2011–20 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, during which time it aims to save five million lives.

Worldwide, UN data shows nearly 1.3 million people die in traffic each year and 20 million to 50 million more are injured in road accidents.

More than 90 percent of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s vehicles. Worldwide, road traffic injuries are among the three leading causes of death for people between 5 and 44 years of age.

“It has been estimated that global losses due to road traffic injuries total $518 billion and cost governments between 1 and 3 percent of their gross national product,” according to the United Nations. “In some low- and middle-income countries, the loss is more than the total amount of development assistance they receive.”

Indonesian authorities, Sarwo said, would continue to educate the public on road safety issues, including in schools and on board public transportation.

The campaign, she said, included implementing UN rules, improving infrastructure and data collection. “It is hoped that during the DAFRS, the number of accidents and casualties will decrease each year,” Sarwo said.