Assessment of road traffic accidents and the severity of its consequences in Ukraine

Abstract

In Ukraine, the situation with road traffic accidents, mortality and injuries remains generally difficult. Relatively positive trends in traffic provision in the first half of the last decade are rapidly giving way to negative trends at the end of 2020. Ambitious of United Nations reduction target during 2011-2020 years 50% of road traffic mortality and serious injuries by UN Member States partially completed. Ukraine is no exception. According to the Patrol Police of Ukraine, during this period, the total number of deaths consequently of traffic accidents decreased by 26.7%, and those seriously injured by 15.5%. However, according to the World Health Organization, only the member states of the European Union have achieved the greatest progress in reducing deaths and serious injuries from road traffic accidents by one fourth, while in the post-soviet countries a decrease of only one tenth fixed. Based on official data, in Ukraine there are on average 8-8.5 deaths consequently of traffic accidents per 100,000 people. However, according to experts from the World Health Organization, the death rate from road traffic accidents is more than 13 people per 100 thousand of the population, which is 150% more than the European average (5 people per 100 thousand). A difference has been established in the data of state bodies regarding the level of mortality consequently of road traffic accidents. The conclusion is made about the shortcomings of the system of registration and accounting of road accidents used to hide the real number of deaths consequently of road accidents. The underestimation of mortality rates is carried out by not taking into account in the statistics those who died a month after the accidents, as well as by assigning those who died consequently of road traffic accidents to the total number of people who died as a result of traffic accidents.