The burden of road traffic accidents in Kermanshah province (2010)

Introduction: Disabled-adjusted Life Year (DALY) makes it possible to calculate the time and duration of the disease and its non-fatal consequences along with the time lost due to premature death. This study was aimed to estimate the burden of Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) in Kermanshah Province.

Methods: To determine the mortality related to road-traffic accidents as well as Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to premature death and to calculate the incidence of non-fatal injuries and Years Lost due to Disability (YLD), the data from National Death Registration and Forensics Medicine were used. The causes of death and nature of non-fatal injuries were classified using International Classification of Diseases 10 codes (ICD-10) and Global Burden of Diseases 2010 (GBD-2010). The YLL, YLD and DALY were estimated according to the guidelines of GBD 2010, and age and sex composition was taken from the National Statistical Center for the year 2010.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 34.2±18.2 years. Overall, 70.8% of the subjects were male and the rest were female. The mortality and non-fatal injury rates of RTAs in Kermanshah province were 51.3 and 283.6 per 100,000 population, respectively. The YLLs due to premature death were 46613 years (24.5 per 1000) and the YLDs were found to be 3404.9 years (1.7 per 1000). The DALYs were found to be 50017.9 years (26.2 per 1000) in both genders. The highest DALY rate in both genders was reported for the age group 30-34 (32.4 per 1000). More than 93% of DALYs were related to YLL (24.5 per 1000).

Conclusion: Given the DALY >50000 years attributed to RTAs, the share of more than 93% YLL in the DALY rate, and the fact that most RTAs occur in the men and age group 15-44 years, it is necessary to implement all effective and multisectoral preventive measures, especially for this group, such as use of helmet and seatbelts, speed limit enforcement, better road design, and manufacturing of high quality cars.