[The pediatrician and traffic safety].
OBJECTIVE
To instruct children and teenagers about safe transportation and about their behavior as cyclists and pedestrians.


METHODS
The MEDLINE and LILACS databases were searched, using the following terms, from 1995 to 2005: traffic accidents, child, adolescent, morbidity, mortality, age, and gender. Scientific articles on morbidity and mortality from traffic accidents, children in a pedestrian situation, as cyclists or as motor vehicle passengers, were selected.


RESULTS
More than 300 scientific articles were found, but only the studies that addressed those issues in a broad manner were selected.


CONCLUSIONS
Traffic-related mortality rates are still very high and show the necessity to intensify educational campaigns for community awareness, in addition to encouraging investments in effective pedestrian safety. The pediatrician s role is to decrease the number of children and adolescents who get involved in traffic accidents by providing them with traffic guidance and education.
Waksman
Renata D
RD
Departamento de Pediatria, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. hwaksman@uol.com.br
Pirito
Regina M B K
RM
D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015370:Infant Equipment; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012307:Risk Factors; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence