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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

David M. Bishai, MD MPH PhD, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, 615 N. Wolfe St Room E4622, Baltimore, MD 21205, 4109557807, dbishai@jhsph.edu, Brian Asiimwe, BDS, MPH, Epidemiological Survellance Division, Ministry of Health, MOH Headquarters, Kampala, Uganda, Meron Assefa, Morgan State University, 1700 East Coldspring, Baltimore, MD 21251, and William Bazeyo, MD, PhD, Institute of Public Health, Makerere University, P.O. Box 22864, Kampala, Uganda.

Objective: In October, 2004, the Ugandan Police department deployed state of the art traffic safety patrols on the four major roads to the capital Kampala. We sought to assess the costs of scaling up traffic enforcement in Uganda.

Methods: We conducted record review and key informant interviews at 12 police stations along the highways that were patrolled. Monthly data on traffic citations and casualties were reviewed for January 2001 to December 2005. We computed the potential revenue from citations and examined time series data on monthly fatalities from 2001 to 2005.

Results: Our preliminary estimate of the annual costs of deploying the four squads of traffic patrols (20 officers, 4 vehicles, equipment, administration) is estimated at $71,000. Since deployment, the number of citations has increased substantially with a value of $327,311. Poisson and ARIMA regression showed a significant decrease in traffic fatalities after the enforcement intervention.

Conclusion: The costs of traffic safety enforcement are low in comparison to the revenue generated. Traffic enforcement leads to a significant drop in fatalities. Preliminary data suggest that scaling up traffic safety enforcement could be an extremely cost-effective public health intervention.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify factors contributing to the success of traffic enforcement in low income countries

Keywords: Motor Vehicles, International Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered