Identifying risk factors for household burdens of road traffic fatalities: regression results from a cross-sectional survey in Taiwan.

Lanying Huang

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3813-3

Abstract

BackgroundRoad traffic fatalities (RTF) are among the top ten causes of deaths in the world. The risk factors for RTF fatal victims have been extensively characterized, but studies of household burden of RTF have been very few in number. Accordingly, this article investigates post-crash impacts on RTF victims’ family members, including the adverse impacts of lost income, occupational disruption, unfavorable family dynamics, and residential relocation.MethodsSurvey data from 1291 RTF family members interviewed in Taiwan in 2012 provide the evidence of impact used in this article. Twelve variables related to the family member’s socio-demographic background were used to predict the scope of the adverse impact of a fatal crash in regression models developed for this analysis.ResultsRTF victims’ spouses with relatively low personal incomes and strong dependence upon the crash victims were found to be most likely to experience a marked decrease in post- crash quality of life. RTF victims’ family members who lived with few other adult cohabitants and had more juvenile dependents and were emotionally dependent on the victims were found to be quite likely to experience post- crash setbacks in occupational stability. RTF victims’ family members who were emotionally dependent on the victims were found to be more likely to experience major family life disruptions. The younger the RTF victims’ family members, and the more years since the crash, the higher the likelihood of residential relocation taking place.ConclusionsThe results noted help identify those RTF victims’ families that will most likely be adversely affected by the crash. The true societal costs of RTF crashes should include the adversities suffered by the fatal crash victims’ families. Social welfare policies, mental health support, and timely supplemental resources should be made available to those surviving families most at risk of major life disruptions.

Highlights

Road traffic fatalities (RTF) are among the top ten causes of deaths in the world
The present study aims to identify the impacts of a RTF crash on victims' households, and to document the risk factors that incur household burdens using cross-sectional survey data collected in Taiwan
A display of the descriptive statistics for the personal background information is set forth in Table 1, which indicates that the typical victim's family member who was interviewed was a male, with a senior high school degree, working as a laborer in the manufacturing sector with a monthly wage between 20 and 30 thousand NT dollars

Summary

Introduction

Road traffic fatalities (RTF) are among the top ten causes of deaths in the world. Heavy cost of road traffic crashes in low- and middle-income countries As the eighth leading cause of deaths globally, roadtraffic fatalities (RTF) took more than one million lives each year over the course of the last decade [1]. The ratio of fatal to non-fatal injury road-traffic crashes was estimated to be around 1:20 [3] Large disparities in this ratio exist across nations with low- and middle-income countries exhibiting more than twice the fatality rate of high income countries, and the gap is expected to increase as passenger vehicles in the prosperous countries become markedly better equipped with safety features [4]. It is clear that greater effort must be devoted to reducing traffic fatalities in low- and middle-income countries [5, 6].

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Results

Conclusion