Abstract
Backgroundcurrently road accidents are mostly monitored through mortality and injury rates. This paper reports the methodology and the results of a project set forth by the European Union (EU) and coordinated by the WHO aimed at identifying and evaluating a core set of indicators to monitor the causal chain of road accident health effects. The project is part of the ECOEHIS (Development of Environment and Health Indicators for European Union Countries).Methodsa group of experts (WG), identified 14 indicators after a review of the information collected at the EU level, each of them representing a specific aspect of the DPSEEA (Driving, Pressure, State, Exposure, Effect, Action) model applied and adapted to the road accidents.Each indicator was scored according to a list of 16 criteria chosen by the WG. Those found to have a high score were analysed to determine if they were compatible with EU legislation and then tested in the feasibility study.Results11 of the 14 indicators found to be relevant and compatible with the criteria of selection were proposed for the feasibility study. Mortality, injury, road accident rate, age of vehicle fleet, and distance travelled are the indicators recommended for immediate implementation.Conclusionafter overcoming the limitations that emerged (absence of a common definition of death by road accident and injury severity, underestimation of injuries, differences in information quality) this core set of indicators will allow Member States to carry out effective internal/external comparisons over time.
Highlights
The burden of road traffic accidents in EuropeTraffic accidents cause about 120 000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year in Europe
The ECOEHIS (Development of Environment and Health Indicators for European Union Countries) project ECOEHIS [5] is a project conducted by the WHO to develop methods and tools for the Environmental and Health Information System (EHIS)
The project objective was to establish a core set of environmental health (EH) indicators for the European Union (EU) countries, covering the topics related to important areas of living conditions such as air pollution, noise, housing conditions, road accidents and water pollution [6]
Summary
Traffic accidents cause about 120 000 deaths and 2.5 million injuries a year in Europe. Reducing the number of traffic accidents and the resulting injuries and deaths is a priority throughout Europe [3]. It is urgent in Central-Eastern European countries where improvements in traffic infrastructures have not kept up with the rapidly growing traffic density [4]. The project objective was to establish a core set of environmental health (EH) indicators for the European Union (EU) countries, covering the topics related to important areas of living conditions such as air pollution, noise, housing conditions, road accidents and water pollution [6]. Eleven member States (out of 15) participated in the project with a delegate from the Health and Environment Ministries
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