Traffic Injury Risk Based on Mobility Patterns by Gender, Age, Mode of Transport and Type of Road

Guadalupe González-Sánchez,Antonio García-Rodríguez,Mario Gutiérrez-Bedmar,Elvira Maeso-González,María Isabel Olmo-Sánchez

doi:10.3390/su131810112

Guadalupe González-Sánchez, Antonio García-Rodríguez + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810112

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Abstract

The role of gender and age in the risk of Road Traffic Injury (RTI) has not been fully explored and there are still significant gaps with regard to how environmental factors, such as road type, affect this relationship, including mobility as a measure of exposure. The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of the environmental factor road type taking into account different mobility patterns. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was carried out combining two large databases on mobility and traffic accidents in Andalusia (Spain). The risk of RTI and their severity were estimated by gender and age, transport mode and road type, including travel time as a measure of exposure. Significant differences were found according to road type. The analysis of the rate ratio (Ratemen/Ratewomen), regardless of age, shows that men always have a higher risk of serious and fatal injuries in all modes of transport and road types. Analysis of victim rates by gender and age groups allows us to identify the most vulnerable groups. The results highlight the need to include not only gender and age but also road type as a significant environmental factor in RTI risk analysis for the development of effective mobility and road safety strategies.

Highlights

Road traffic accidents are one of the world’s major public health problems, causing more than one million deaths annually [1]
In order to estimate the risk of Road Traffic Injury (RTI) more accurately, it is essential to use appropriate exposure measures that refer to the mobility of people [3], such as number of trips, distances travelled or travel times
The results illustrate the existence of important differences in the risk of Road Traffic

Summary

Introduction

Road traffic accidents are one of the world’s major public health problems, causing more than one million deaths annually [1]. To obtain more accurate results, it is essential to use exposure measures that quantify the mobility of people [2,3,4], such as number of trips, distances travelled or travel times. In order to estimate the risk of RTI more accurately, it is essential to use appropriate exposure measures that refer to the mobility of people [3], such as number of trips, distances travelled or travel times. This risk is estimated as the rate of the number of accidents or victims divided by the amount of exposure of a population over a period of time. Women use more sustainable modes of transport such as public transport and walking, while men make greater use of private vehicles [7,9,18,19]

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