Studying the Epidemiology of Fatal Traffic Accidents in the Khuzestan Province

Abstract

Background: Traffic accidents with about 1.24 million deaths and 20 to 50 million cases of injury or disability per year are one of the most important public health challenges around the world. In Iran, traffic accidents, with an annual incidence of 32 cases per 100 thousand people, are considered as the second leading cause of death and the most common cause of injury. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological pattern and mortality rate caused by traffic accidents during year 2012 in the Khuzestan province and its cities. Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, all data related to fatal traffic accident referrals to legal medicine center of Khuzestan province during year 2012 were obtained and analyzed. Road traffic accidents mortality rate during this year was calculated for the province and its cities. The data were analyzed using Stata 11 statistical software. Results: In 2012, one thousand and twenty deaths related to traffic accidents occurred in Khuzestan province. The incidence of deaths due to accidents in Khuzestan province was 22.5 and the standardized age of incidence was 24.3 per 100 thousand people. Regarding gender, 78.24% of the dead individuals were male and 21.76% were female. The most common final causes of death were head trauma (76.27% cases) and bleeding (12.55% cases). The most deceased people were drivers (42.55%), passengers (34.90%), and pedestrians (21.27%). The highest traffic accidents mortality rate in Khuzestan province was observed in Hoveizeh (55.43 per one hundred thousand), Omidiye (55.30 per one hundred thousand) and Ramhormuz (53.12 per one hundred thousand), and the lowest incidence rates belonged to Lali (5.35 per one hundred thousand) and Shadegan (9.78 per one hundred thousand). Conclusions: This study showed that drivers, passengers and pedestrians were the most vulnerable road users. Regarding the fact that most of them were illiterate or had primary education and were self-employed or laborers, it seems essential to develop plans not only to train the road users but also to evaluate the safety of vehicles and roads and post-accident care programs, and consequently, implement special programs fully and strictly in order to reduce traffic fatalities.

Epidemiology of mortality among road accident victims in the south of Kerman Province, Iran, from 2012 to 2015

“…At night, emergency personnel may not be able to take the necessary measures for the injured. Most road accidents leading to death had occurred in the spring and autumn, which was consistent with the studies in Sistan and Baluchestan, Kermanshah, and Khuzestan, Iran (22,26,27). However, this finding was not in agreement with that of the study in Zanjan and on the Iranian police data, which reported that the highest rate of deaths due to traffic accidents occurred in the summer and winter, respectively (7,23).…”

Traffic Accident Spatial Simulation Modeling for Planning of Road Emergency Services

“…This province, which is the focus of the current research, is the leader in terms of road accidents in Iran. Nearly 1300 people lose their life, and more than 15,000 people get injured or disabled in road traffic accidents in the Khuzestan province each year [12,17].Although site selection science has witnessed a great improvement in the last two decades, there are still several challenges in this topic. Many of these location selection methods are based on a fundamental analysis of experiences, or even predilection.…”

“…RESs must be located carefully because, in an emergency, staff should be able to reach the site of the accident within 5 min [28]. Hence, considering this crucial temporal aspect, the coverage matrix is essential for describing alternative locations [23].By reviewing various studies, the significant role of pre-hospital services and emergency in a road accident has improved [17,29,30]. Early research has shown that good quality pre-hospital services have a high impact on the reduction of the death rate caused by brain trauma resulting from accidents [24,25].…”

“…This province, which is the focus of the current research, is the leader in terms of road accidents in Iran. Nearly 1300 people lose their life, and more than 15,000 people get injured or disabled in road traffic accidents in the Khuzestan province each year [12,17].…”

“…By reviewing various studies, the significant role of pre-hospital services and emergency in a road accident has improved [17,29,30]. Early research has shown that good quality pre-hospital services have a high impact on the reduction of the death rate caused by brain trauma resulting from accidents [24,25].…”