Road safety
The field of road safety is concerned with reducing the numbers or the consequences of vehicle crashes, by developing and implementing management systems based in a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, with interrelated activities in a number of fields.
History
Crashes seem as old as automobile vehicles themselves. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot crashed his steam-powered "Fardier" against a wall in 1770. The first recorded automobile fatality was Bridget Driscoll in August 17, 1896 in London, England. The spectacular growth in motorization has resulted in a corresponding growth in crashes. And today it is accepted that in most OECD countries the cost of accidents amount to about two per cent of GDP. In undeveloped countries, these losses are greater than international aid and loans received, fact that have prompted the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to include activities in this field as one of his priorities. In terms of fatalities, the worldwide estimation was 800.000 per year in 1999, forecasted to grow to between 1.1 and 1.2 million in 2010 and to between 1.3 and 1.4 million by the year 2020. (Silcock, 2003)
Specific Interventions
Impact speed determines the severity of injury to pedestrians, e.g. 5% of pedestrians who are struck at 20 mph (32 km/h) are killed, 45% at 30 mph (48 km/h) and 85% at 40 mph (64 km/h) (Ashton and Mackay, 1979). This is why Traffic calming is an important tool of road safety, together with speed enforcement.
Table
Top 10 Leading Contributors to the Global Burden of Disease
| 1990 | 2020 |
|---|
| Disease or Injury | Disease or Injury |
|---|
| 1 | Lower respiratory infections | 1 | Ischaemic heart disease |
| 2 | Diarrhoeal diseases | 2 | Unipolar major depression |
| 3 | Perinatal conditions | 3 | Road traffic injuries |
| 4 | Unipolar major depression | 4 | Cerebrovascular disease |
| 5 | Ischaemic heart disease | 5 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| 6 | Cerebrovascular disease | 6 | Lower respiratory infections |
| 7 | Tuberculosis | 7 | Tuberculosis |
| 8 | Measles | 8 | War
|
| 9 | Road traffic injuries | 9 | Diarrhoeal diseases
|
| 10 | Congenital Abnormalities | 10 | HIV
|
Source: Murray CJL, Lopez AD, eds.
In order to build a ranking, epidemiologist use estimated DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) lost as the measure of the burden of disease.
As can be seen, road traffic injuries are a growing health problem, and for year 2020 it is expected that will come to the third position.
Related articles
See also
External links: Relevant journals
