Road Traffic Mortality Research Articles

The level and trend of road traffic injuries attributable mortality rate in Iran, 1990\u20132015: a story of successful regulations and a roadmap to design future policies

BackgroundRoad-Traffic-Injuries (RTIs) are predicted to rise up to the fifth leading cause of worldwide death by 2030 and Iran has the third highest RTIs mortality among higher-middle income countries. Although the high mortality of RTI in Iran is a warning, it provides the opportunity to indirectly assess the implemented RTI-related regulations’ effectiveness via high-resolution relevant statistics and, hence, Iran could serve as a guide for countries with similar context. In order to do so, we utilized this study to report the time and spatial trends of RTIs-related mortality in different age and sex groups and road user classes in Iran.MethodsBased on the national death-registration-system (DRS), cemeteries data, and the demographic characteristics, and after addressing incompleteness, we estimated mortality rates using spatiotemporal and Gaussian process regression models. We assessed Pearson seatbelt and helmet use and RTIs-attributable Age-Standardized-Morality-Rate (ASMR) associations. We also predicted RTIs-death-numbers, 2012–2020, by fitting a Generalized Additive Model to assess the status of achieving relevant sustainable development goal (SDG), namely reducing the number of RTIs-related deaths by half.ResultsOverall RTIs-attributable death and ASMR at the national level increased from 12.64 [95% UI, 9.52–16.86] to 29.1 [22.76–37.14] per 100,000 people in the time period of 1990–2015. The trend consisted of an increasing segment in 1990–2003 followed by a decreasing part till 2015. The highest percentage of death belonged to the three-or-more-wheels motorized vehicles. Pedestrian injuries percentage increased significantly and the highest mortality rate occurred in 85 years and older individuals. Low prevalence of seatbelt and helmet use were observed in provinces with higher than the median ASMR due to the relevant cause of each. RTIs-attributable death number is expected to reduce by 15.99% till 2020 which is lower than the established SDG goal.ConclusionsDespite the observed substantial moderation in the RTI-ASMR, Iran is till among the leading countries in terms of the highest mortality rates in the world. The enforced regulations including speed limitations (particularly for elder pedestrians) and mandatory use of seatbelt and helmet (for young adult and male drivers) had a considerable effect on ASMR, nevertheless, the RTI burden reduction needs to be sustained and enhanced.

Long-term impact of the 2008 economic crisis in Spain on road traffic collisions mortality by socioeconomic position.

We aimed to assess the effect of the 2008 crisis on road traffic collision (RTC) mortality in Spain, by socioeconomic position (SEP) and type of road use. This prospective, country-wide study covered all adults living in Spain and aged ≥30 years in November 2001. The long-term effect of the crisis was assessed by measuring the monthly percentage change (MPC) in RTC mortality between the pre-crisis (2002-2007) and crisis period (2008-2011). During the recession, RTC mortality fell more in people with low compared to high SEP, so MPCs difference between periods were of a higher magnitude in the low compared to high SEP groups, especially among men motorcyclists. RTC mortality trends were favorable following the 2008 crisis, particularly among low-SEP groups. In men motorcyclists, the upward trend of the pre-crisis period reversed course.

Impact of Public Health Policies on Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease in Latin America: An Ecological Multinational Study.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is the leading cause of liver-related mortality in Latin America, yet the impact of public health policies (PHP) on liver disease is unknown. We aimed to assess the association between alcohol PHP and deaths due to ALD in Latin American countries. We performed an ecological multinational study including 20 countries in Latin America (628,466,088 inhabitants). We obtained country-level sociodemographic information from the World Bank Open Data source. Alcohol-related PHP data for countries were obtained from the World Health Organization Global Information System of Alcohol and Health. We constructed generalized linear models to assess the association between the number of PHP (in 2010) and health outcomes (in 2016). In Latin America, the prevalence of obesity was 27% and 26.1% among male and female populations, respectively. The estimated alcohol per capita consumption among the population at 15 years old or older was 6.8 L of pure alcohol (5.6 recorded and 1.2 unrecorded). The overall prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUD) was 4.9%. ALD was the main cause of cirrhosis in 64.7% of male and 40.0% of female populations. A total of 19 (95%) countries have at least one alcohol-related PHP on alcohol. The most frequent PHP were limiting drinking age (95%), tax regulations (90%), drunk-driving policies and countermeasures (90%), and government monitoring systems and community support (90%). A higher number of PHP was associated with a lower ALD mortality (PR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93; P=0.009), lower AUD prevalence (PR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-0.99; P=0.045), and lower alcohol-attributable road traffic deaths (PR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.65-1.00; P=0.051). Our study indicates that in Latin America, countries with higher number of PHP have lower mortality due to ALD, lower prevalence of AUD, and lower alcohol-attributable road traffic mortality.

Comparison of Road Traffic Death and Injury Rates at Pedestrian Crossings in Europe

For this study, accident statistics of 14 European countries were analysed for the number of fatalities and injuries occurring at pedestrian crossings from 2015 to 2017. The road traffic death rate (killed per 1 million inhabitants) and the road traffic injury rate (injured per 1 million inhabitants) at pedestrian crossings were calculated and compared. It was found that there are large differences between the European countries: The road traffic death rate at pedestrian crossings is the lowest in Great Britain and Germany and the highest in Poland and Lithuania. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between road traffic death and injury rates at pedestrian crossings.

Impact of a focused trauma course on retention of provider skills, knowledge and confidence at a regional hospital in the Dominican Republic

IntroductionRoad traffic accidents are a public health epidemic, causing significant morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. The Dominican Republic (DR) ranks among the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world. There is no formalized trauma curriculum in the DR. A short trauma course was implemented at a San Pedro de Macoris, DR hospital with pre-, post- and retention evaluation of the knowledge, skills and confidence of the providers. MethodsA 4-day trauma course was developed for medical students and residents. On days 1 and 4, providers completed pre- and post-training assessments consisting of a 40-question written exam, 1 simulation case and a trauma confidence questionnaire. Simulation cases were evaluated using a critical actions checklist and a non-technical skills scale (TNOTECHS). Assessments were repeated in 2 months to evaluate for knowledge, skill and confidence retention. A repeated measures ANOVA model was used to evaluate pre-, post- and retention training differences in the written exam, non-technical skills and critical actions scores. Confidence scores were assessed using a cumulative logistic regression model. ResultsA total of 65 people participated (36 medical students, 22 EM and 7 family medicine residents). Of the 65 participants, 39, 22 and 21 participants had complete scores for pre-post, pre-retention and post-retention comparisons respectively. Mean test scores for the written exam were 37.2, 63.5 and 52.2 for pre, post and retention results respectively. Comparisons between pre and post as well as pre and retention showed statistically significant differences (p=0.0001). Mean TNOTECHS total scores were 15.8, 21.3 and 20.8 for pre-, post- and retention results respectively with a significant difference found between pre- and post- training and pre- and retention training (p <0.05). Simulation mean checklist scores were 57.7%, 67.8% and 74.1% for pre-, post- and retention training respectively with a significant difference established between pre- and retention scores (p<0.05). Provider opinion that their ED patients received best care possible and patients’ needs were identified and addressed showed statistically significant increases. ConclusionA short trauma course can improve trauma specific knowledge, skills and confidence with significant retention at two months. A longitudinal trauma curriculum may bolster retention.

Retraction:Identifying developmental trajectories of worldwide road traffic accident death rates using a latent growth mixture modeling approach.

Retraction:Identifying developmental trajectories of worldwide road traffic accident death rates using a latent growth mixture modeling approach.

Comparison of Prediction Models for Mortality Related to Injuries from Road Traffic Accidents after Correcting for Undersampling.

In this study, four models—logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), linear support vector machine (SVM), and radial basis function (RBF)-SVM—were compared for their accuracy in determining mortality caused by road traffic injuries. They were tested using five years of national-level data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s (KDCA) National Hospital Discharge In-Depth Survey (2013 through to 2017). Model performance was measured for accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and Brier score metrics using classification analysis that included characteristics of patients, accidents, injuries, and illnesses. Due to the number of variables and differing units, the rates of survival and mortality related to road traffic accidents were imbalanced, so the data was corrected and standardized before the classification models’ performances were compared. Using the importance analysis, the main diagnosis, the type of injury, the site of the injury, the type of injury, the operation status, the type of accident, the role at the time of the accident, and the sex were selected as the analysis factors. The biggest contributing factor was the role in the accident, which is the driver, and the major sites of the injuries were head injuries and deep injuries. Using selected factors, comparisons of the classification performance of each model indicated RBF-SVM and RF models were superior to the others. Of the SVM models, the RBF kernel model was superior to the linear kernel model; it can be inferred that the performance of the high-dimensional transformed RBF model is superior when the dimension is complex because of the use of multiple variables. The findings suggest there are limitations to analyses involving imbalanced, multidimensional original data, such as data on road traffic mortality. Thus, analyses must be performed after imbalances are corrected.

No effect of the Penalty Point System on road traffic accident mortality among men with a high socioeconomic status in Spain

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the Penalty Point System (PPS) on road traffic accident mortality by gender and socioeconomic status. We conducted a nationwide prospective study covering adult people living in Spain on November 2001. They were followed up until 30 Nov 2007 to determine vital status and cause of death. An interrupted time-series analysis was used to assess whether PPS (explanatory variable) had both immediate and long-term effect on the rates of road traffic accident mortality (RTAMs) separately by gender. Subjects were classified by socioeconomic status (low and high) using two indicators: educational attainment (up to lower secondary education; upper secondary education or more) and occupation (manual and non-manual workers). We performed several segmented Poisson regression models, controlling for trend, seasonality, 2004 road safety measures and fuel consumption as proxy for traffic exposure. Among men, we found a decrease on the RTAMs immediately after PPS in those with low educational level (16.2 %, IC95 %: 6.1 %–25.2 %) and manual workers (16.3 %, IC95 %: 2.8 %–27.8 %), and a non-significant increase among those with high education level and non-manual workers (6.2 % and 1.8 %). Among women, there were no significant differences in the immediate effect of PPS by socioeconomic status. We did not identify significant trend changes between pre-PPS and post-PPS periods in any socioeconomic group. In a context of downward trend of traffic mortality, the PPS implementation led to an immediate reduction on death rates only among men with a low socioeconomic status.

Road traffic accident mortality analysis based on time of occurrence: Evidence from Kerala, India

IntroductionRoad Traffic Accidents (RTA) are a global public health concern imposing huge socio-economic costs on a society. Analysis of the incidence of RTA is essential to monitor the effectiveness of different road safety policies implemented to reduce this. The present study analyzes and forecasts time zone's-specific RTA mortality reported during 2005–2018 in Kerala State, India. MethodsAn aggregate level secondary time series data of the total Number of Persons Killed (NPK) due to RTA in Kerala during 2005–2018 recorded at consecutive eight time zones were considered for the analysis. The exploratory data analysis and time series regression were mainly used for analyzing the data. ResultsThe analysis confirms seasonality and upward trend in the RTA deaths in Kerala (549.5 (266.5660)) during 2005–2018. The minimum number of RTA deaths (129 (109,171)) happened from 00.00 a.m. to 3.00 a.m. and the maximum number of deaths occurred from 18.00 p.m. to 21.00 p.m. (810.5 (760,876)). RTA deaths in Kerala during evening and night-time were relatively higher than other time zones. RTA deaths that occurred immediately before dawn from 06.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. (504.5 (469,566)) or after dusk from 15.00 p.m. to 18.00 p.m. (719 (663,766)) were also relatively high in Kerala. Since 2016, in the time zones 00.00 a.m.–03.00 a.m., 09.00 a.m.–12.00 a.m., 18.00 p.m.–21.00 p.m. and 21.00 p.m.–24.00 p.m., there is an increasing trend in the RTA deaths in which during 21.00 p.m.–24.00 p.m. the NPK records a steady increase. Time series regression analysis indicates, for every 3hrs rise in time over the year; approximately four persons were killed (P-value < 0.001) due to RTA in Kerala during 2005–2018. Moreover, on average, more than 673 (P-value < 0.001) people were killed during the 18:00 p.m. - 21:00 p.m. due to RTA in Kerala than that of 00:00 a.m. - 03:00 a.m. The forecast of expected RTA deaths in Kerala based on the fitted TSR model with SAR(1)(8) errors for the years 2019–2021 indicate most road accident deaths will likely occur during 18.00 p.m. and 21.00 p.m. and the least is between 00.00 a.m. and 03.00 a.m. The forecast for 2020 shows a decrease in Kerala's RTA deaths for every time zone than 2019 and then increases in 2021. ConclusionsThe findings of the study provide the evidence that there is a significant amount of increase in the RTA deaths in Kerala through time. The study insists on implementing and monitoring the road safety policies concerning specific time zones for lowering RTA death rates.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HDI VALUES AND ROAD TRAFFIC FATALITY RATES

Road traffic accidents are a serious but an avoidable problem that cause both life and economic loss worldwide. There are some common factors such as income, education and health that affect both socioeconomic development and road traffic fatality rates of countries. Examination of these factors separately during the analyze of road traffic fatality rates might cause misleading results due to the relationships between stated variables. Thus, using an inclusive parameter like Human Development Index (HDI), may provide more realistic results. In the current study, the relationship between HDI, its dimensions (GNI per capita, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling and life expectancy at birth) and road traffic fatality rates are examined. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted in order to obtain results about the effects of each dimension of HDI. Results showed that all dimensions of HDI negatively predicted road traffic fatalities. Results have been discussed according to related literature and suggestions have been made for further research and applications.

Retrospective Evaluation of Determinants of Road Traffic Injuries at a Naval Station

Introduction: Several factors like globalization, industrialization, migration, access to modern ways of living, increasing income levels, easy availability of vehicles, point of use entertainment/communication gadgets, media influence and others have brought human beings in close contact with a variety of challenges to safe driving, resulting in an increased occurrence of Road Traffic injuries across the globe. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at naval station amongst victims of road traffic accidents who reported to emergency department of naval hospital over period of six months. Interviews on structured questionnaire to explore various determinants of road traffic injuries (RTI). Data Analysis on 156 victims was carried out for proportion of study variables of interest, Chi square test to determine significant differences between demographic variables and RTA exposure. Results: Of 156 RTA victims, more than 50% were between 21 - 40 years; 69.9% were male; 93% accidents were contributed by driving speed more than 40km/hr; 47% occurred at road junctions followed by civil roads; 27% were due to collision. 23% accidents took place on Saturdays; 36% were in morning 06 - 12 hours. 1/3 accidents were caused by two wheeler vehicles. Negligence of driver (40.4%) poor road condition (24.4%) were major causes of the accident as reported by victims. 44.2% of the victims had minor injury; 58.7% drivers who met accidents were holding valid driving license; 38% were wearing protective gears and 56% narrated that road lights/ traffic signals were available at vantage points. Exposure to accidents was found to be having statistically significant difference when related to age, gender, type of accident, common causes of accident and use of protective gears. Conclusions: The stricter application of traffic laws and safety measures are required to bring down the road traffic accident rate and related mortality.

Reaction behaviour of drivers to marked and unmarked road: Ghana perspective

Africa is the leading continent globally in the rate of road traffic fatalities, yet it is the least motorized compared to the other five continents. This predicament is said to be one of the leading cause of death among youth and generally, rated as one of the ten causes of death in the world. Exclusively, Ghana’s rate of traffic fatalities is growing despite the efforts invested in reducing it. Nevertheless, more focus needs to be invested in the traffic control systems such as traffic signals, signs or road markings. As this system tends to considerably reduce the number of conflicts and minimize road user’s errors. Furthermore, this system creates drivers’ expectations of the conditions which they will meet ahead and the driving tasks required. If misleading information is provided, or none is available, hazardous situations can result. Overall, this traffic system is inadequate or lacking in most developing countries as there are no proper maintenance strategies in place. Thus, this study investigates and evaluates the reaction of drivers to the marked and unmarked roads. Using random quantitative sampling methods, Ghanaian drivers were interviewed on their experiences when driving on the marked and unmarked road. Overall, this study will highlight the necessity of road markings in reducing traffic fatality rate and the psychological effect of the unavailability of road marking on drivers’ expectation and consequently, the effect on their behaviour in most developing countries.

Risk Factors, Pattern and Outcome of Motorcycle-associated Head Injury in Sokoto: An Analysis of 184 Cases

Abstract Background Road traffic accident (RTA) is the eighth leading cause of death worldwide. Motorcycle-associated head injury is the leading cause of road traffic associated morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Even though the incidence and mortality of head injury from motor cycle crash is on the increase in developing countries, especially in the African continent, most of the studies published in the literature on this subject matter took place in the developed Western countries. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of data from patients managed in our institution between December 2014 and November 2016. Results One hundred and eighty-four patients were analyzed. None of the patients used safety helmet for protection. The mean age was 27.6 ± 17.2 years with male female ratio of 6.7:1. Lone crash by cyclists and collisions accounted for 66.8% and 33.1% of the cases, respectively. Passengers and riders comprised 75% of the patients, while 25% were vulnerable pedestrians. The most frequently abused substance by the patients was tramadol (65.52%). Severe head injury and pupillary abnormality were found in 23.9% and 45.5% of the patients, respectively. Cranial CT scan showed abnormalities in 40.2% of the patients. Surgery was done in 28.3% of the patients with mortality rate of 20.7%. Conclusions The use of motorcycle as a mean of transportation has caused significant negative impact on the society. Young people, who constitute the workforce, are majorly affected, and this invariably leads to a serious economic burden on the concerned families and communities.

Global trends in adolescents’ road traffic injury mortality, 1990–2019

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the trends of road traffic injury (RTI) mortality among adolescents aged 10–14 years and 15–19 years across different country income levels with...

Prevalence and risk factors for road traffic injuries and mortalities in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundRoad traffic injuries, which are responsible for premature deaths and functional losses, are the leading causes of unintentional injuries in Ethiopia. As most studies on road traffic injuries, so far,...

Road traffic injury mortality and morbidity by country development status, 2011-2017

PurposeThis research examined road traffic injury mortality and morbidity disparities across of country development status, and discussed the possibility of reducing country disparities by various actions to accelerate the pace of achieving Sustainable Development Goals target 3.6 – to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020. MethodsData for road traffic mortality, morbidity, and socio-demographic index (SDI) were extracted by country from the estimates of the Global Burden of Disease study, and the implementation of the three types of national actions (legislation, prioritized vehicle safety standards, and trauma-related post-crash care service) were extracted from the Global Status Report on Road Safety by World Health Organization. We fitted joinpoint regression analysis to identify and quantify the significant rate changes from 2011 to 2017. ResultsAge-adjusted road traffic mortality decreased substantially for all the five SDI categories from 2011 to 2017 (by 7.52%–16.08%). Age-adjusted road traffic mortality decreased significantly as SDI increased in the study time period, while age-adjusted morbidity generally increased as SDI increased. Subgroup analysis by road user yielded similar results, but with two major differences during the study period of 2011 to 2017: (1) pedestrians in the high SDI countries experienced the lowest mortality (1.68–1.90 per 100,000 population) and morbidity (110.45–112.72 per 100,000 population for incidence and 487.48–491.24 per 100,000 population for prevalence), and (2) motor vehicle occupants in the high SDI countries had the lowest mortality (4.07–4.50 per 100,000 population) but the highest morbidity (428.74–467.78 per 100,000 population for incidence and 1025.70–1116.60 per 100,000 population for prevalence). Implementation of the three types of national actions remained nearly unchanged in all five SDI categories from 2011 to 2017 and was consistently stronger in the higher SDI countries than in the lower SDI countries. Lower income nations comprise the heaviest burden of global road traffic injuries and deaths. ConclusionGlobal road traffic deaths would decrease substantially if the large mortality disparities across country development status were reduced through full implementation of proven national actions including legislation and law enforcement, prioritized vehicle safety standards and trauma-related post-crash care services.

Descriptive epidemiology of road traffic mortality caused by heavy vehicles in Iran in 2018

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) have become an important public health problem and the mortality rate due to RTAs in Iran is significantly higher than the international standards. There is no accurate information about the mortality rate caused by heavy vehicles in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating road traffic mortality caused by heavy vehicles in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the mortality rate caused by heavy vehicles was evaluated regarding age, sex, marital status, education, place and type of accident, and traffic classification. The relative frequency percentage was used for descriptive analysis. T-test, Chi-square, and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the relationship between the variables. Results: A total of 3560 persons died only due to heavy vehicle accidents, and the age-standardized mortality rate was 4.34 per 100,000 populations. The mean age of the victims was 38.9 ± 20.8 years. Furthermore, 80% of the victims were male. Results showed that 83% of all deaths occurred outside cities, and the most common type of vehicle used by the victims was truck and trailer. The highest percentage (57.3%) of accidents was related to heavy and light vehicles. Conclusions: The rate of RTAs-related mortality rate caused by heavy vehicles in Iran is higher than the basic international rate, and there is a need to investigate the causes of this issue.

Socio-demographic determinants of motorcycle speeding in Maha Sarakham, Thailand.

Thailand has the highest road traffic fatality rate in Southeast Asia, making road safety a critical public health concern. A 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Report showed that speeding behavior was the most important determinant for road traffic crashes in Thailand. Here, we aimed to examine associations of socio-demographic factors (gender, age, socioeconomic status) with self-reported motorcycle speeding behavior. Additionally, we examined a potential role of time discounting and risk preference as mediators in the association of socio-demographic factors with speeding. We used data obtained from the Mahasarakham University Social Network Survey 2018 (MSUSSS) (N = 150). We ran linear network autocorrelation models (lnam) to account for the data's social network structure. We found that males are more likely than females to engage in speeding behavior (β = 0.140, p = 0.001) and to discount the future (β = 5.175, p = 0.017). However, further causal mediation analysis showed that time discounting does not mediate the gender-speeding association (p for mediation = 0.540). Although socioeconomic status (subjective social class) was not associated with speeding (β = 0.039, p = 0.177), age was marginally associated with speeding (β = 0.005, p = 0.093). Future studies may consider using a larger sample.

Long-term exposure to traffic noise and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence between 2000 and 2020.

We aimed to update the evidence-base of long-term noise exposures from road, rail, and aircraft traffic on both non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. The literature was searched using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE for the period between January 01, 2000 and October 05, 2020. 13 studies were selected for final review. The risk of bias and overall quality of evidence was evaluated using a pre-defined list of criteria. Risk estimates from each study were converted into per 10dB higher of Lden for each traffic source. Inverse-Variance heterogeneity (I-Vhet) meta-analysis was used to pool these individual risk estimates, along with assessment of heterogeneity and publication bias. Sensitivity analyses include using random-effect model and leave-one-out meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses by study design and noise exposure assessment were conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. For road traffic, the pooled relative risk (RR) per 10dB higher Lden for mortality from non-accidental causes was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.05) (5 studies, I2=78%), CVD was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.05) (5 studies, I2=41%), ischemic heart disease (IHD) was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.08) (7 studies, I2=46%), and stroke was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.14) (5 studies, I2=62%). The overall quality of evidence for most meta-analyses was rated as very low to low, except for CVD or IHD mortality, for which the quality of evidence was rated as moderate. A possible threshold of 53dB was visually suggested for CVD-related mortality from road traffic noise in the trend analysis. For aircraft noise, pooled estimates were based on fewer studies and varied by mortality outcomes. Evidence of long-term exposure to traffic noise on mortality remains weak except the association between road traffic noise and IHD mortality. High-quality longitudinal studies are required to better characterise mortality effects of traffic noise.

Level of First Aid Skills Among Drivers in Russia and the European Union

The Russian Federation occupies one of the first places in terms of road transport mortality. While the countries of the European Union play a special and significant role in reducing global indicators of road traffic mortality. The objective of the study is to compare the level of knowledge on first aid techniques among drivers in the Russian Federation and EU countries. In continuation of the previous work, in the framework of which a study was conducted by interviewing citizens of the Russian Federation according to the questionnaire developed by the authors, the number of respondents increased from 107 to 403 people. To compare the indicators, 402 European Union citizens were surveyed. The survey was conducted in May–September 2018 and in January and June 2019. A direct survey was conducted by the students of VPI (branch) of VolSTU and Volgograd State Medical University. The platform https://docs.google.com/forms was also used, a link to the questionnaire was posted in the most active driver communities in the social networks Vkontakte and Facebook. According to the data received, Russian driving schools are much more likely to neglect conducting first aid classes than European ones. EU respondents were much less likely to encounter the need for first aid, which may be due to the shorter time for arrival of a team of doctors at the scene of an accident. The most significant discrepancies were revealed in drivers’ knowledge regarding issues related to application of a hemostatic tourniquet, indications of beginning of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its methods, and actions in case of fractures of the extremities, i.e. critical in cases of traffic accidents. The general preliminary conclusion, subject to fruther detailing, is drawn that more attention is paid to first aid issues in the EU. To improve the situation in Russia, a number of measures have been proposed: compulsory medical classes at driving schools by a medical professional, greater attention to training in first aid techniques in educational institutions, training of special services for first aid skills and facilitating the training of ordinary citizens.