Status of Road Safety in the Region of the Americas

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Child Restraint

In the three years since the last road safety report was issued, the number of road traffic deaths has continued to increase throughout the Americas, reaching 154,997 deaths in 2016 (latest year of available data). However, the death rate from road traffic crashes has remained stable (15.6 per 100,000 population in 2016 as compared to 15.9 per 100,000 population in 2013). Data presented in this report show that aspects of road safety management, legislation, and post-crash care have improved in some countries. However, the improvements have been modest and it is clear that the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.6, to halve road traffic deaths by 2020, will not be achieved... Since 2014, more countries in the Region have implemented road safety legislation. Two additional countries, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, established laws on drink-driving based on best practice, bringing the total to eight countries. Ecuador implemented legislation on helmet use (resulting in a total of seven countries), Dominican Republic implemented legislation on seat-belts (19 countries in total), while Chile implemented child restraint laws (two countries in total). However, no new speed laws have been enacted in the Region. Overall, four countries (Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Uruguay) have amended their laws regarding one or more road safety risk factors to bring them in line with best practice. Despite these legislative developments, enforcement remains a major challenge in most countries...

scholarly journals Characteristics of Road Traffic Accident Cases Reported in a Tertiary Military Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-217
Author(s):  
Md Moshiur Rahman ◽  
Farzana Zafreen ◽  
Abu Noman Mohammed Mosleh Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Traffic Accident ◽  
Traffic Accident ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Military Hospital ◽  
Road Traffic Accidents ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes

Introduction: Road traffic accidents (RTA) are the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death in Bangladesh. The road safety situation in Bangladesh has been deteriorating with increasing number of road accident deaths, largely as direct consequences of rapid growth in population, motorization, urbanization and lack of investment in road safety. Objectives: To describe the injury characteristics of road traffic accidents cases that reported at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional hospital based study was conducted on all the RTA cases reported to medical inspection room CMH, Dhaka from 01 March to 30 June 2010. A total of 126 RTA victims irrespective of age and sex were included, data were collected by face to face interview using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: A total of 126 road traffic accident victims both sexes were studied. The majority of the study subjects were men 103 (81.7%) and most of them were in 31-40 years group (27%), Muslims (98.41%) were the majority. In our study regarding educational qualification of RTA victims most of them were SSC qualified (44’4%) and primary level (15.1%). Military services holder (45.2%) was the majority of road traffic crash victims. Bus/Minibus (32.5%) was responsible for the majority of road traffic crashes and motor vehicle passengers (42.9%) were main victims. Laceration & cut injury were (38.1%) and multiple injury (18.3%) were the most common injury. Main roads (49.2%) were the commonest site of the accidents.  Regarding place of occurrence main roads 62 (49.2%) was the most common site and noon 41 (32.5%) was the most common time of occurrence of accidents. Conclusion: Road traffic crashes constitute a major public health problem in our setting and contribute significantly to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of road traffic crashes is necessary to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from these injuries. Early recognition and prompt treatment of road traffic injuries is essential for optimal patient outcome. JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 15, No 2 (December) 2019: 213-217

scholarly journals Driving Anger, Aberrant Driving Behaviors, and Road Crash Risk: Testing of a Mediated Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingru Zhang ◽  
Alan H.S. Chan ◽  
Hongjun Xue ◽  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Da Tao
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
Driving Anger ◽  
Driving Behaviors ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Road Crash

With the dramatic increase in motorization, road traffic crashes have become the leading cause of death in China. To reduce the losses associated with road safety problems, it is important to understand the risk factors contributing to the high crash rate among Chinese drivers. This study investigated how driving anger and aberrant driving behaviors are related to crash risk by proposing and testing one mediated model. In this model, the effects of driving anger on road crash risk were mediated by aberrant driving behaviors. However, unlike previous studies, instead of using the overall scale scores, the subscales of driving anger and aberrant driving behaviors were used to establish the mediated model in this study. To test the validity of this model, an Internet-based questionnaire, which included various measures of driving anger, aberrant driving, and road crash history, was completed by a sample of 1974 Chinese drivers. The results showed that the model fitted the data very well and aberrant driving behaviors fully mediated the effects of driving anger on road crash risk. Findings from the present study are useful for the development of countermeasures to reduce road traffic crashes in China.

scholarly journals Invisible Cause of Death in Global Road Safety Crisis: A New Paradigm

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmalchandra K Shetty
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Causative Factor ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Design Solution ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Automotive Safety ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes

Global road safety is a complex problem. Annually 1.4 million people are killed, while over 50 million are injured in road traffic crashes worldwide. It endangers the victims' life or health and has a heavy social and economic impact on their families, on medical facilities, and the nation's economy.There have been numerous global efforts by the UN, WHO, World Bank, among others, to address the road safety crisis. According to research, human error is the root cause of 90% of crashes, which is largely attributed to the driver. In 2006, a serendipitous idea led to my discovery of the invisible primary cause of road traffic deaths and injuries - the obstruction of the driver's field of vision by the blind region of the A-pillar in all vehicles, which is a universal design flaw. Road traffic crashes are difficult to avert if vehicles and other road users or objects are invisible to the driver before the crash. Thus, this problem, including its proposed A1-pillar design solution, was conveyed to the UN, WHO, among others, in 2006. In spite of the positive response, these organisations did not pursue it. Despite commendable efforts by global institutions and governments, stricter traffic laws, and automotive safety technology advancements, road traffic deaths and injuries are steadily increasing. Could a key causative factor have been ignored so far? Thus, this article explores the blind region created by the A-pillar and offers a sustainable design solution for new vehicles as well as a retrofit idea for existing ones. Urgent action is needed to validate and overcome this major causative factor in road traffic deaths and injuries worldwide. Along with the existing global road safety measures, this comprehensive solution has the potential to help resolve the global road safety crisis and save lives.

scholarly journals The Importance of Enforcing Road Safety Laws to Reduce Road Traffic Collision (RTC) Occurrence and Fatalities in Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s6-s6
Author(s):  
Oluwafunbi Awoniyi ◽  
Michael Molloy ◽  
Alexander Hart ◽  
Amalia Voskanyan ◽  
Ritu Sarin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Driving Under The Influence ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
United Nations General ◽  
Road Traffic Collision ◽  
United Nations General Assembly

Introduction:Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) are one of the most preventable causes of death worldwide, yet are the number one cause of death in Nigeria. In March 2010, the United Nations General Assembly launched “The Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020)” to “reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2020.”Aim:To analyze trends in RTC and deaths in relation to current road safety laws in Nigeria, and possible future interventions.Methods:Annual reports from 2013-2017 were obtained from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of Nigeria. These reports were analyzed for trends in RTC, deaths, and reported causes to find areas of possible improvement.Results:The number of RTC and deaths declined yearly from 2013-2017. Crashes decreased from 23.4% in 2013-2014 to 6.2% in 2015, to 0.4% in 2016, and then increased to 3.2% in 2017. Results showed that fatalities from RTC in 2013-2014 decreased by 8.4%, then by 9.3% in 2015, and by 7.1% in 2016, but had a 1.3% increase in fatalities from 2016-2017. Analysis showed that speed violations (SPV) were the top cause of RTC. These had a decrease in the number of crashes from 5,495 (32% of RTC) in 2013, to 3,496 (29%) in 2014, to 3,195 (26.5%) in 2015. They then increased to 3,848 (33.9%) in 2016 and to 4,840 (44.1%) in 2017. There was a decline in reports of RTC caused by driving under the influence (DAD) from 1% in 2013, to 0.8% in 2014, and 0.5% in 2015 and 2016.Discussion:Current road safety laws have been effective in decreasing the total number of RTC and deaths. While certain laws such as those regarding DAD have been effective, other laws such as speed limits have been less successful and may require further changes in legal codes and/or enforcement.

scholarly journals Changes In Mortality Trends Of Road Traffic Injuries In Lithuania Over 1971-2014

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 114-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birutė Strukčinskienė ◽  
Robert Bauer ◽  
Vaiva Strukčinskaitė ◽  
Sigutė Norkienė
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mortality Trends ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Injuries ◽  
The Government

The goal of this study was to analyze the changes in mortality trends of road traffic injuries for the whole population in transitional Lithuania over 1971 to 2014. Special attention was paid to the potential effect of the activities at macro and micro-level, and the socio-economic changes after the Independence in 1991. The data were derived from the Department of Statistics for the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Archives of Health Information Centre, and the Institute of Hygiene in Lithuania. The numbers have been based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Trends were estimated by the use of logarithmic regression. During the study, trends before the Independence in 1991 and after the Independence were compared. The study revealed that during the 44-year study period, a total of 38,982 people died from road traffic injuries in Lithuania. Men deceased 3.2 times more than that of women. About 40% of those killed in road traffic crashes were pedestrians. The mortality rates of road traffic injuries showed no significant change over the pre-independence period (1971- 1991) for the whole group. However, during the post-independence period (1992-2014), the mortality rates of road traffic injuries in the country significantly decreased for the whole population. Before the Independence (1971-1991), no change was presented nor in men and nor in women subgroups, whereas after the Independence (1992-2014), road traffic injury deaths fell significantly in both sexes. In addition, over the post-independence period, a significant decrease in pedestrian mortality trends for the whole population, and in men and women subgroups was observed. The study confirmed that sustainable preventive measures at macro and micro levels had possible impact on fatal road traffic injuries in the country. Socioeconomic changes, political reforms, education activities, safe environment creation, legislation, and improved healthcare seem to have contributed to the significant decrease of fatal road traffic injuries in transitional Lithuania. Continuous and permanent injury prevention and road safety promotion work is recommended for road safety management.

scholarly journals Land artificialization, economic growth, and road insecurity: Theoretical improvements and empirical validation for the case of Algeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 241-255
Author(s):  
Harizi Riadh
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
Quadratic Equations ◽  
Active Population ◽  
Level Of Economic Development

This paper applies the Kuznets (1955) curve approach to road traffic crashes in Algeria based on active population, motorization rate, income per capita, and land artificialization. It aims to establish a link between economic development and road safety by estimating the terms of quadratic equations related to the occurrence of traffic collisions. The results reveal that a link between economic development and road safety can be validated by two econometric specifications for the Kuznets curve (KC). Indeed, because economic conditions remained favorable, the Algerian economy reached its inflection point in 2011 and then entered the second phase of the KC. The increase in the level of economic development then in turn led to an improved road-safety situation in terms of lower mortality rates on the roads.

scholarly journals Low-Speed Zone Guide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Bray Sharpin ◽  
Claudia Adriazola-Steil ◽  
Soames Job ◽  
Marta Obelheiro ◽  
Ben Welle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
Road Traffic Crashes ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Road Crashes ◽  
The World ◽  
Risk Areas

Every year approximately 1.35 million people lose their lives due to road traffic crashes. In many road crashes, speed plays a key role. As a result, managing speed has taken on great importance in cities around the world. An effective method for reducing speed and improving road safety, especially in high-risk areas, has been to establish low-speed zones. This Low-Speed Zone Guide presents strategies for planning, designing, building, and evaluating low-speed zones. The guide intends to equip communities and decision-makers with the tools to implement low-speed zones that will suit their specific context.

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