Survivable and non-survivable road traffic injury?

• Health of survivors and long term disability
• Post impact care and national road safety plans and targets
• Road traffic deaths and injuries
• Socio-economic costs and the value of prevention
• The problem: road traffic injury consequences
• Time between road crash and road death?

Survivable and non-survivable road traffic injury?

A Swedish study into survivability in fatal road traffic crashes concluded that 48% of those who died sustained non-survivable injuries. Out of the group who sustained survivable injuries, 5% were not located in time to prevent death, 12% could have survived had they been transported more quickly to hospital and a further 32% could have survived if they had been transport quickly to an advanced trauma centre [23]. A UK study estimated that 12% of road crash victims with serious skeletal trauma went on to have significant preventable disability [33]. The appropriate management of road casualties following the crash is a crucial determinant of the chance and quality of survival.