TY - JOUR
T1 - The epidemiology and hotspots of road traffic injuries in Moshi, Tanzania
T2 - An observational study
AU - Reardon, Joseph M.
AU - Andrade, Luciano
AU - Hertz, Julian
AU - Kiwango, George
AU - Teu, Anneth
AU - Pesambili, Msafiri
AU - El-Gabri, Deena
AU - Hocker, Michael
AU - Mvungi, Mark
AU - Vissoci, João Ricardo N.
AU - Staton, Catherine A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was made possible by the Mentored Research Training Program in collaboration with the HRSA-funded KCMC MEPI grant # T84HA21123-02; U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Duke Division of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Staton would like to acknowledge salary support funding from the Fogarty International Center (Staton, K01 TW010000-01A1).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/7
Y1 - 2017/7
N2 - Road traffic injuries (RTIs) continue to increase with the proliferation of motor vehicles, especially in low-income countries where safe road infrastructure is lacking. Knowing where and why RTIs occur would allow for increased safety and prevention planning. In this study, police records of 300 motor vehicle collisions which occurred between February 2013 and January 2014 in Moshi, Tanzania were reviewed. Analysis of variables including victim age, gender, type of collision, conditions, and use of safety equipment were analyzed. Geographic information system (GIS) analysis was performed to identify areas with the most collisions. Most injuries occurred at four intersections on two main corridor. Car crashes represented 48% of reports while motorcycle collisions were 35% of reports. Victims were predominantly male. The majority (64%) of RTI victims in cars used seatbelts while only 43% of motorcyclists wore helmets; none of those who used the helmet or seatbelt suffered a grievous injury. These data demonstrate that RTIs in Moshi occur in predictable high traffic locations. RTIs injure victims of all backgrounds and safety equipment is not universally utilized. More investment is needed in improved data collection methods, and a greater emphasis on intersection safety is needed to reduce these preventable injuries.
AB - Road traffic injuries (RTIs) continue to increase with the proliferation of motor vehicles, especially in low-income countries where safe road infrastructure is lacking. Knowing where and why RTIs occur would allow for increased safety and prevention planning. In this study, police records of 300 motor vehicle collisions which occurred between February 2013 and January 2014 in Moshi, Tanzania were reviewed. Analysis of variables including victim age, gender, type of collision, conditions, and use of safety equipment were analyzed. Geographic information system (GIS) analysis was performed to identify areas with the most collisions. Most injuries occurred at four intersections on two main corridor. Car crashes represented 48% of reports while motorcycle collisions were 35% of reports. Victims were predominantly male. The majority (64%) of RTI victims in cars used seatbelts while only 43% of motorcyclists wore helmets; none of those who used the helmet or seatbelt suffered a grievous injury. These data demonstrate that RTIs in Moshi occur in predictable high traffic locations. RTIs injure victims of all backgrounds and safety equipment is not universally utilized. More investment is needed in improved data collection methods, and a greater emphasis on intersection safety is needed to reduce these preventable injuries.
KW - Hotspot analysis
KW - Road traffic injuries
KW - Tanzania
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85019376089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85019376089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.injury.2017.05.004
DO - 10.1016/j.injury.2017.05.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 28529012
AN - SCOPUS:85019376089
SN - 0020-1383
VL - 48
SP - 1363
EP - 1370
JO - Injury
JF - Injury
IS - 7
ER -