The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2014 , Vol 56 , Num 3
Traffic Injury Mortality Trends in Children and Adolescents in Lithuania among Road Users
1Klaipeda University Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda, and 3Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania,
and 2Division of Social Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
E-mail: serpil.baysal@deu.edu.tr
This study analyzes traffic mortality trends among road users from 1998
to 2012 in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years in Lithuania. National
mortality data of pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and car occupants were
used to compare trend lines. The study revealed that 56% of the deceased
in road traffic crashes were car occupants, while 24% were pedestrians. The
incidence of death from traffic injury was 2.5 times higher in boys than girls.
Traffic injury mortality and pedestrian mortality rates declined significantly
in the total group. There was also a significant decline in mortality among
cyclists for the total group and female subgroup. Trends in mortality rates
among motorcyclists and car occupants showed no significant changes. A
long-term decline is more likely to be affected by efforts in the promotion
of sustainable and permanent road safety. The reduced risk exposure may
also have been influenced by the economic recession.
Keywords :
traffic injury, mortality trends, children, adolescents, road safety.