• Suliman Alghnam, Muhamad Alkelya, Moath Alfraidy, Khalid Al-Bedah, Ibrahim Tawfiq Albabtain, and Omar Alshenqeety.
• Dr. Suliman Abdulah Alghnam, King Abdulah International Research Center (KAIMRC), Population Health, PO Box 22490,, Riyadh, 11426, Saudi Arabia,, T: 0539468887, ghnams@ngha.med.sa, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-0481.
• Ann Saudi Med. 2017 Jan 1; 37 (1): 191-9.

BackgroundRoad traffic injuries (RTIs) are the third leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia. Because speed is a major risk factor for severe crash-related injuries, a camera ticketing system was implemented countrywide in mid-2010 by the traffic police in an effort to improve traffic safety. There are no published studies on the effects of the system in Saudi Arabia.ObjectiveTo examine injury severity and associated mortality at a large trauma center before and after the implementation of the ticketing system.DesignRetrospective, analytical.SettingTrauma center of a tertiary care center in Riyadh.Patients And MethodsThe study included all trauma registry patients seen in the emergency department for a crash-related injury (automobile occupants, pedestrians, or motorcyclists) between January 2005 and December 2014. Associations with outcome measures were assessed by univariate and multivariate methods.Main Outcome Measure(S)Injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and mortality.ResultsThe study included all trauma registry patients seen in the emergency department for a crash-related injury. All health outcomes improved in the period following implementation of the ticketing system. Following implementation, ISS scores decreased (-3.1, 95% CI -4.6, -1.6) and GCS increased (0.47, 95% CI 0.08, 0.87) after adjusting for other covariates. The odds of death were 46% lower following implementation than before implementation. When the data were log-transformed to account for skewed data distributions, the results remained statistically significant.ConclusionsThis study suggests positive health implications following the implementation of the camera ticketing system. Further investment in public health interventions is warranted to reduce preventable RTIs.LimitationsThe study findings represent a trauma center at a single hospital in Riyadh, which may not generalize to the Saudi population.

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