ROME: Pope Benedict XVI called on Wednesday on motorists, especially the young, to take care on the roads after the release of UN figures showing accidents worldwide claim 1.2 million lives a year.

The pope said drivers must take the “greatest degree of care” and invited his followers to pray for the victims of road accidents and their families, during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.

The World Health Organisation said in a report released Monday that 1,000 people under the age of 25 are killed in traffic accidents every day, mostly in Africa and Asia. The report said traffic accidents were the biggest killer of young people between the ages of 15 and 19, far higher than HIV/AIDS.—AFP