Incidence of seriously injured road users in a Swedish region, 2003–2014, from the perspective of a national road safety policy

Abstract

Background Since 1997 Sweden has a policy for road safety called Vision Zero. Given that Vision Zero is mainly used to reduce fatalities among car occupants, the question has been raised by the research community whether a Vision Zero approach promotes health for all road traffic users. The objective is to measure target fulfilment of the national road safety policy for a Swedish region by examining incidence of serious injury during 2003–2014 in rural and urban road spaces with or without implemented measures. Methods Data on seriously injured road users, defined as ISS>8 (Injury Severity Scale), were retrieved from STRADA (Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition) together with data from NVDB (National Road Database). These data are used to describe where road users are seriously injured in relation to implemented national policy and using a conceptual model of a road space comprising roads, pavements and tracks for walking and cycling. Seriously injured road users in single and multiple crashes with and without vehicles are included. The development of the incidence is analysed for different road users and places in the road space. Results Seriously injured road users increased in rural areas from 7.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003 to 9.3 in 2014, and in urban areas from 8.0 to 16.3 respectively. In areas not transformed by Vision Zero, only 36% were injured in rural areas while 64% were injured in urban areas. In contrast, in transformed areas 61% of injuries occurred in rural areas, whereas 39% occurred in urban areas. Conclusion Despite implemented road safety measures in the region, the incidence of seriously injured road users doubled in urban areas during 2003–2014, while the incidence decreased for car occupants on transformed national roads in rural areas. In urban areas, more people were seriously injured on pavements and tracks for cycling and walking than on the roads where Vision Zero had been implemented. The reduction in the incidence in the region may not be adequate to contribute to fulfilling the national target. More needs to be done, especially in the urban areas, where more active mobility is desired.

Road Safety Habits and Related Factors of the Adult Population. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

“…On the other hand, the association between the attitude towards drunkdriving and compliance with the prescribed speed and safety behaviours, when adjusted for demographic and socio-economic factors, remained only for the use of seat belts in the front and rear seats of the vehicle. Meanwhile, a large-scale study published in 2020 on the global burden of traffic collision-related injuries recorded a reduction in mortality and an increase in the standardized incidence rate in most countries since 1990 (James et al, 2020), and a study published in 2019 on persons seriously injured in RTCs in Sweden show an increase in the incidence rate per 100 000 inhabitants (Värnild, Larm, Tillgren, 2019). In general, changes in the number, proportion, incidence and mortality rates of KSI in RTCs are explained by changes in both the total number of RTCs and their structure, including differences between different subgroups, increased motorization and urbanization globally, and implemented prevention policies, including medical assistance.…”