Emerging trend in motorisation and the epidemic of road traffic crashes in an economically growing country

Abstract

Prevention of road traffic injuries in the developing world has been hampered by limitations of knowledge, absence of reliable estimates of the current level of injuries and traditionally restrictive views on health and disease. This situation exists because research for the reduction of traffic injuries is funded at a disproportionately lower level than other health issues. In addition, governments have not viewed the problem of road traffic injuries as a public health problem. Furthermore, fatality rates are also related to some social and economic parameters including population per physician, population per hospital bed, school-age population attending schools, vehicle ownership and gross national product per capita. Finally, during the period 1983-2007 motor vehicle accidents in Qatar ranked the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. During the study period, i.e. 1983-2007, the number of accidents increased by 217.4% (32,383 to 102,776), injuries by 62.1% (1560 to 2529) and fatalities by 73% (115 to 199). Rate of injuries per 100,000 population declined in 2007 (206.2 from 519.5) and so did the rate of fatalities (16.2 from 38.3) when compared to those of 1983. Qatar had the highest fatality rate among the developed and developing countries, although the injury rate was lower than some of the developed countries.