Traffic injury prevention
-
Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2016
Underutilization Of Occupant Restraint Systems In Motor Vehicle Injury Crashes: A Quantitative Analysis From Qatar.
Restraint systems (seat belts and airbags) are important tools that improve vehicle occupant safety during motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). We aimed to identify the pattern and impact of the utilization of passenger restraint systems on the outcomes of MVC victims in Qatar. ⋯ The nonuse of seat belts is associated with worse outcomes during MVCs in Qatar. Our study highlights the lower rate of seat belt compliance in young car occupants that results in more severe injuries, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality rates. Therefore, we recommend more effective seat belt awareness and education campaigns, the enforcement of current seat belt laws, their extension to all vehicle occupants, and the adoption of proven interventions that will assure sustained behavioral changes toward improvements in seat belt use in Qatar.
-
Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2016
The influence of alcohol on pedestrians: A different approach to the effectiveness of the new traffic safety law.
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the new traffic safety law on pedestrian mortality by exploring hazardous behaviors of pedestrians in terms of alcohol use and blood alcohol concentration (BAC). ⋯ The present study indicates that the new traffic safety law has been quite effective in reducing pedestrian mortality. However, alcohol consumption and intoxication in pedestrians remains a fairly important factor in motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians, because the proportion of pedestrians positive for alcohol, the proportion of severely intoxicated pedestrians with BAC > 1 g/L, and annual mean BAC have remained unchanged.
-
Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2016
An estimate of the effectiveness of an in-vehicle automatic collision notification system in reducing road crash fatalities in South Australia.
The aim of this study was to estimate the potential effectiveness of an in-vehicle automatic collision notification (ACN) system in reducing all road crash fatalities in South Australia (SA). ⋯ The minimum effectiveness rate of an ACN system in SA with full deployment is likely to be in the range of 2.4 to 3.8% of all road crash fatalities involving all vehicle types and all vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists) from 2008 to 2009. Considering only passenger vehicle occupants, the benefit is likely to be 2.6 to 4.6%. These fatality reductions could only have been achieved through earlier notification of each crash and their location to enable a quicker medical response. This might be achievable through a fully deployed in-vehicle ACN system.
-
Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
Epidemiology of Road Traffic Injuries Treated in a Large Romanian Emergency Department in Tîrgu-Mureş Between 2009 and 2010.
Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of preventable unintentional injury. The European Injury Database estimated that in European Union (EU)-27 countries, road traffic injuries account for 10% of all injuries treated in the emergency department or admitted to the hospital, accounting for 4.2 million victims each year. We examined the characteristics and outcomes of road traffic injuries treated in a large emergency department in Romania by different types of road users. ⋯ Understanding the extent, nature, and characteristics of road traffic injuries may help to identify vulnerable road users in specific settings and implement the most effective prevention strategies targeting the most affected populations.
-
Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
The road traffic crashes as a neglected public health concern; an observational study from Iranian population.
Traffic crashes are multifactorial events caused by human factors, technical issues, and environmental conditions. The present study aimed to determine the role of human factors in traffic crashes in Iran using the proportional odds regression model. ⋯ Public health strategies and preventive policies should be focused on more common human risk factors such as disregarding traffic rules and regulations, drivers' rushing, and alcohol consumption due to their greater population attributable fraction and more intuitive impacts on society.