title: [Traffic accidents resulting in injuries: underreporting, characteristics, and case fatality rate].
abstract: In order to describe traffic accidents in a medium-sized Brazilian city and compare the risks of injury and death among different types of vehicles and pedestrians, all traffic accidents identified through police and hospital emergency records were registered for two years Deaths by such accidents were identified and confirmed through the coroner's office. The number of registered vehicles in the municipality was obtained through the State traffic authority. Morbidity and mortality rates were calculated and tests of association between selected variables performed. There was a relevant underreporting of accidents by the police (up to 53%), which varied according to the type of accident and time of occurrence. The highest case fatality rate was observed among bicyclists and pedestrians (around 5%), followed by motorcyclists (3%). Pedestrians formed the highest contingent of deaths. Motorcyclists had an eightfold risk of dying, a fourfold risk of injury, and a twofold risk of running over pedestrians as compared to automobile drivers. We conclude that pedestrians and motorcyclists are priority groups for interventions aimed at reducing injury and death from traffic accidents.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Social, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, 96001-970, Brasil. abarros@epidemio-ufpel.org.br
authors.forename: Aluísio J D
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Rodrigo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: Maria Simone B
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Scilla C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Evandro V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001642:Bicycling; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D009049:Motorcycles; D012307:Risk Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality
vernacular_title: Acidentes de trânsito com vítimas: sub-registro, caracterização e letalidade.