Session: Global Burden of Road Traffic Injuries

3053.0: Monday, November 8, 2004: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM

Oral

Global Burden of Road Traffic Injuries

Road traffic injuries are currently among the top 10 leading causes of death and disability in low and middle income countries (LMIC), and projections indicate that they will be the 3rd leading cause of death and disability in 2020 unless there is appropriate and prompt intervention. Injuries are increasingly recognized as a global public health epidemic and approximately 16,000 people die every day world wide from injuries. Road traffic injuries alone killed an estimated 1.2 million people in 2000, qualifying these types of injuries as the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Road traffic injuries account for 2.2% of global mortality, resulting in a heavy death toll for people from all age categories. According to the Global Burden of Disease report, deaths from injuries are projected to rise in future years, and road traffic injuries are the primary cause of this anticipated increase. The rate of fatalities resulting from road traffic injuries varies across income groups. Of those killed during 2000, 90% were from low- or middle-income countries corresponding to 20.7 and 15.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants in this session will be able to: 1. Identify road traffic injuries as a growing global health issue 2. Recognize the need to incorporate road traffic injuries prevention and control into global public health agendas. 3. Describe specific country-level and global interventions aimed at reducing mortality and morbidity from road traffic injuries

Moderator(s):

Eckhard Kleinau, Dr PH, MD

8:30 AM

Introductory Remarks

8:35 AM

National Road Fatalities and Economic Development