The Journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
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This retrospective study was undertaken to obtain recent information on the pattern of road traffic accidents (RTA) and the associated disabilities in Nigeria. We reviewed the medical records of RTA related cases recorded between 1987 and 1990 at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. Over the 4-year period, 2667 cases of RTA were recorded and this constitutes 5.3% of the total medical and surgical emergencies seen at the hospital. ⋯ Pedestrian casualties accounted for 28.3% of the RTA cases. The majority (67.4%) of the hospitalized RTA patients sustained a fracture and 12.2% died during admission. Our findings if extrapolated to all the hospitals in Nigeria confirm the speculation that RTA is one of the leading causes of death in Nigeria.