بررسي اپيدميولوژيك عابرين متوفي ناشي از تصادفات رانندگي در ايران

An epidemiologic survey of pedestrians passed away in traffic accident

Background: Nowadays, traffic accident mortality is a critical problem in our country, so that the mortality rate related to traffic accident has been increased up to 10-15 percent annually during the recent years. In accidents, pedestrians are the most vulnerable and the risk of disability and death is very high. The present study was conducted to evaluate the pedestrian mortality and relevant factors in our country. Methods: We gathered the information of pedestrians passed away in traffic accidents in 1999. We obtained information from department of statistics in Iranian legal medicine organization and entered them in a checklist. Results: Of 15482 mortality in traffic accidents, 5015 were pedestrians who constituted one-third of victims. 72.7 percent of Pedestrians were males. 37.5 percent were under 15 years and 27.6 percent were above 61 years. More than half of victims died in accident area or during which they were transferred to hospital. 45.6 percent passed away in hospital. Head trauma was the main cause of death. In 46.6 percent of cases, they had been run down by automobile. Conclusion: It is concluded that mortality rate of pedestrians in traffic accidents in Iran is several times higher than developed countries and even more than other middle east countries. Children and aged persons are at higher risk. Thus, we can solve this problem by developing appropriate facilities in high-accident-rate areas, prudent training in schools and media and reinforcement of emergency aid services.