The Road Traffic Injuries Research Network: a decade of research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.

Road traffic crashes have been an increasing threat to the wellbeing of road users worldwide; an unacceptably high number of people die or become disabled from them. While high-income countries have successfully implemented effective interventions to help reduce the burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in their countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not yet achieved similar results. Both scientific research and capacity development have proven to be useful for preventing RTIs in high-income countries. In 1999, a group of leading researchers from different countries decided to join efforts to help promote research on RTIs and develop the capacity of professionals from LMICs. This translated into the creation of the Road Traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) - a partnership of over 1,100 road safety professionals from 114 countries collaborating to facilitate reductions in the burden of RTIs in LMICs by identifying and promoting effective, evidenced-based interventions and supporting research capacity building in road safety research in LMICs. This article presents the work that RTIRN has done over more than a decade, including production of a dozen scientific papers, support of nearly 100 researchers, training of nearly 1,000 people and 35 scholarships granted to researchers from LMICs to attend world conferences, as well as lessons learnt and future challenges to maximize its work.

Prevalence of speeding and associated factors in four Mexican cities.

BACKGROUND: Speeding is responsible for countless traffic collisions and road traffic injuries (RTIs) around the world. It threatens the lives of passengers in motor vehicles as well as the safety of other individuals sharing the public roads. Little evidence has been provided by low- and middle-income countries on speed transgression patterns. OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence of speeding in motor vehicles with four or more wheels and to analyse the associated factors in four Mexican cities. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the cities of Guadalajara-Zapopan, León, Cuernavaca and Villahermosa. Data on speed, drivers, vehicles, road infrastructure and the environment were collected from a randomly selected sample of urban road segments. We identified the factors associated with speeding through a logistic multiple regression model. RESULTS: With an overall prevalence of 47% (95% CI 45.83 to 48.18), speeding occurred most frequently in Villahermosa (61.07%, 95% CI 59.10 to 63.01) as compared to León (51%, 95% CI 48.07 to 53.92), Cuernavaca (47.6%, 95% CI 45.35 to 49.85) and Guadalajara-Zapopan (20.76%, 95% CI 18.75 to 22.88). Speeding increased in the afternoons, on roads with numerous lanes, on Thursdays and Sundays and in foggy weather, but decreased in cities with speed control strategies and on roads with low visibility. No differences were observed between sexes or among age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from our study highlights the urgent need to implement speed control measures such as changes in road infrastructure and design, and to promote comprehensive speeding legislation aimed at reducing exposure to this important risk factor.