Abstract
BackgroundIn Canada, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children and youth ≤19. Across the country, there is variability in road traffic injury prevention policies and legislation. Our objective was to compare pediatric road traffic related injury hospitalization and death rates across Canadian provinces.MethodsPopulation-based hospitalization and death rates per 100,000 were analyzed using data from the Discharge Database and provincial coroner’s reports. Road traffic related injuries sustained by children and youth ≤19 years were analyzed by province and cause between 2006 and 2012.ResultsThe overall transport-related injury morbidity rate for children in Canada was 70.91 per 100,000 population between 2006 and 2012. The Canadian population-based injury hospitalization rates from all transport-related causes significantly decreased from 85.51 to 58.77 per 100,000 (− 4.42; p < 0.01; − 5.42; − 3.41) during the study period. Saskatchewan had the highest overall transport related morbidity rate (135.69 per 100,000), and Ontario had the lowest (47.12 per 100,000). Similar trends were observed for mortality rates in Canada.ConclusionsTransport-related injuries among children and youth have significantly decreased in Canada from 2006 to 2012; however the rates vary by province and cause.
Highlights
In Canada, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children and youth ≤19
All nine Canadian provinces included in the analysis showed a decrease in transport-related injury morbidity rates between 2006 and 2012
ON was one of the first provinces to introduce Graduated Driver’s Licensning (GDL) and restricts novice drivers from being on the roads between 12:00–5:00 AM. These findings suggest that GDL may be an important injury prevention policy that has the potential to reduce injury-related deaths
Summary
In Canada, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children and youth ≤19. Our objective was to compare pediatric road traffic related injury hospitalization and death rates across Canadian provinces. Road traffic collisions are the leading cause of injury death among Canadian children and youth (ages 1–19 years) [1]. Male and female adolescents aged 15–19 had the highest rates of transport-related death, 17.04 and 8.00 per 100,000 respectively, compared to younger children [2]. Motor-vehicle collisions (MVCs) accounted for 50% of all transport-related injury costs, followed by pedal cyclists (14%) and pedestrians (11%) [2]. Global comparisons demonstrate that Canada’s childhood mortality rates are similar to most European countries except for Sweden, Italy, and Finland, which are much lower [3].
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