Cost-effectiveness of mandatory bicycle helmet use to prevent traumatic brain injuries and death.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main cause of mortality and severe morbidity in cyclists admitted to Dutch emergency departments (EDs). Although the use of bicycle helmets is an effective way of preventing TBI, this is uncommon in the Netherlands. An option to increase its use is through a legal enforcement. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of such mandatory use of helmets in the Dutch context. The current study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of a law that enforces helmet use to reduce TBI and TBI-related mortality. METHODS: The cost-effectiveness was estimated through decision tree modelling. In this study, wearing bicycle helmets enforced by law was compared with the current situation of infrequent voluntary helmet use. The total Dutch cycling population, consisting of 13.5 million people, was included in the model. Model data and parameters were obtained from Statistics Netherlands, the National Road Traffic Database, Dutch Injury Surveillance System, and literature. Effects included were numbers of TBI, death, and disability-adjusted life years (DALY). Costs included were healthcare costs, costs of productivity losses, and helmet costs. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess which parameter had the largest influence on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). RESULTS: The intervention would lead to an estimated reduction of 2942 cases of TBI and 46 deaths. Overall, the incremental costs per 1) death averted, 2) per TBI averted, and 3) per DALY averted were estimated at 1) € 2,002,766, 2) € 31,028 and 3) € 28,465, respectively. Most favorable were the incremental costs per DALY in the 65+ age group: € 17,775. CONCLUSIONS: The overall costs per DALY averted surpassed the Dutch willingness to pay threshold value of € 20,000 for cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions. However, the cost per DALY averted for the elderly was below this threshold, indicating that in this age group largest effects can be reached. If the price of a helmet would reduce by 20%, which is non-hypothetical in a situation of large-scale purchases and use of these helmets, the introduction of this regulation would result in an intervention that is almost cost-effective in all age groups.

Canadian Child Safety Report Card: a comparison of injury prevention practices across provinces.

BACKGROUND: Injury prevention report cards that raise awareness about the preventability of childhood injuries have been published by the European Child Safety Alliance and the WHO. These report cards highlight the variance in injury prevention practices around the world. Policymakers and stakeholders have identified research evidence as an important enabler to the enactment of injury legislation. In Canada, there is currently no childhood injury report card that ranks provinces on injury rates or evidence-based prevention policies. METHODS: Three key measures, with five metrics, were used to compare provinces on childhood injury prevention rates and strategies, including morbidity, mortality and policy indicators over time (2006-2012). Nine provinces were ranked on five metrics: (1) population-based hospitalisation rate/100 000; (2) per cent change in hospitalisation rate/100 000; (3) population-based mortality rate/100 000; (4) per cent change in mortality rate/100 000; (5) evidence-based policy assessment. RESULTS: Of the nine provinces analysed, British Columbia ranked highest in Canada and Saskatchewan lowest. British Columbia had a morbidity and mortality rate that was close to the Canadian average and decreased over the study period. British Columbia also had a number of injury prevention policies and legislation in place that followed best practice guidelines. Saskatchewan had a higher rate of injury hospitalisation and death; however, Saskatchewan's rate decreased over time. Saskatchewan had a number of prevention policies in place but had not enacted bicycle helmet legislation. CONCLUSIONS: Future preventative efforts should focus on harmonising policies across all provinces in Canada that reflect evidence-based best practices.

Vehicular Hyperthermia-A Highly Preventable and Potentially Fatal Problem.

A child dying of heat injury due to being left unattended in a motor vehicle is a needless tragedy. Each year in the United States an average of 38 children mostly younger than age 2 years die of vehicular hyperthermia, frequently the result of a parental lapse of attention and not intentional neglect. Serious illness results quickly from exposure to rising heat within the passenger compartment, even on days when the temperature is fairly moderate. Prevention is paramount in addressing this problem and can best be accomplished by a combination of technological means, such as passive warning systems, laws that make leaving a child in a car alone illegal, and public education campaigns. [Pediatr Ann. 2018;47(3):e88-e90.].

Are fire safe cigarettes actually fire safe? Evidence from changes in US state laws.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of fire safe cigarette laws on fire mortality and cigarette-related fires in the USA. METHODS: We examined the gradual implementation of the laws to identify their average effects, using difference-in-differences analysis to account for common year effects, time-invariant state effects, state-specific trends and observable time-varying state-level covariates. RESULTS: We found no statistically significant effects on all-cause fire mortality, residential fire mortality or cigarette-caused fire rates. The estimates for cigarette-caused fire deaths were significant under some specifications, but were not robust to the inclusion of state-specific trends or comparisons to effects on other cause-determined fires. CONCLUSIONS: Given the mixed state of our results, we conclude that previous claims regarding the effects of fire safe cigarette laws may be premature.

The impact of state fire safe cigarette policies on fire fatalities, injuries, and incidents.

Cigarettes are a leading cause of civilian deaths in home fires. Over the last decade, state fire service leaders and allied interest groups succeeded in persuading state lawmakers to require manufacturers to sell only low-ignition strength or "fire safe" cigarettes as a strategy to reduce these fatalities and the injuries and losses that stem from them. This article examines whether the states' fire safe cigarette laws actually helped to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the incidence of home fires ignited by cigarettes left unattended by smokers. Controlling for the effects of key demographic, social, economic, and housing variables, this study finds that the states' fire-safe cigarette policies had significant impacts on reducing the rate of smoking-related civilian fire deaths and the incidence of fires started by tobacco products. The findings also suggest that the states' fire safe cigarette policies may have helped to reduce the rate of smoking-related fire injuries. The study shows that collective actions by leaders in the fire service across the states can result in meaningful policy change that protects lives and advances public safety even when a political consensus for action is absent at the national level.

Observational study of compliance with Queensland bicycle helmet laws.

Mandatory bicycle helmet laws have been found to increase helmet wearing rates in Australia and internationally. However, much of the research on factors influencing compliance with the Australian helmet laws is dated or focuses on commuters and city areas only. To address this gap, video recordings of bicycle riders were undertaken at 17 sites across Queensland, Australia, representing a mixture of on- and off-road locations, speed limits and regions. Helmet status was able to be determined for 98% of riders observed. The level of compliance with the laws was very high, with 98.3% of the more than 27,000 riders observed wearing helmets. Riders riding on roads were less compliant than those riding on bicycle paths, but no significant differences were observed between the school-holiday and school-term periods. Among the on-road riders, boys were less compliant than girls and overall children were less compliant than adults. Higher compliance levels were found for group riders, road bike riders, lycra-clad riders, during morning hours, and on 50km/h or lower speed limit roads. While the overall level of compliance was very high, certain subgroups were identified as a possible focus for interventions to further improve the compliance level, for example children (particularly boys) riding mountain bikes away from groups during the afternoon hours on 60km/h roads.

Road traffic injuries in Baghdad from 2003 to 2014: results of a randomised household cluster survey.

INTRODUCTION: Around 50 million people are killed or left disabled on the world's roads each year; most are in middle-income cities. In addition to this background risk, Baghdad has been plagued by decades of insecurity that undermine injury prevention strategies. This study aimed to determine death and disability and household consequences of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in postinvasion Baghdad. METHODS: A two-stage, cluster-randomised, community-based household survey was performed in May 2014 to determine the civilian burden of injury from 2003 to 2014 in Baghdad. In addition to questions about household member death, households were interviewed regarding crash specifics, healthcare required, disability, relatedness to conflict and resultant financial hardship. RESULTS: Nine hundred households, totalling 5148 individuals, were interviewed. There were 86 RTIs (16% of all reported injuries) that resulted in 8 deaths (9% of RTIs). Serious RTIs increased in the decade postinvasion and were estimated to be 26 341 in 2013 (350 per 100 000 persons). 53% of RTIs involved pedestrians, motorcyclists or bicyclists. 51% of families directly affected by a RTI reported a significant decline in household income or suffered food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: RTIs were extremely common and have increased in Baghdad. Young adults, pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists were the most frequently injured or killed by RTCs. There is a large burden of road injury, and the families of road injury victims suffered considerably from lost wages, often resulting in household food insecurity. Ongoing conflict may worsen RTI risk and undermine efforts to reduce road traffic death and disability.

Road accident rates: strategies and programmes for improving road traffic safety.

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, the problem of road accident rates is one of the most important health and social policy issues concerning the countries in all continents. Each year, nearly 1.3 million people worldwide lose their life on roads, and 20-50 million sustain severe injuries, the majority of which require long-term treatment. DISCUSSION: The objective of the study was to identify the most frequent, constantly occurring causes of road accidents, as well as outline actions constituting a basis for the strategies and programmes aiming at improving traffic safety on local and global levels. Comparative analysis of literature concerning road safety was performed, confirming that although road accidents had a varied and frequently complex background, their causes have changed only to a small degree over the years. The causes include: lack of control and enforcement concerning implementation of traffic regulation (primarily driving at excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol, and not respecting the rights of other road users (mainly pedestrians and cyclists), lack of appropriate infrastructure and unroadworthy vehicles. CONCLUSIONS: The number of fatal accidents and severe injuries, resulting from road accidents, may be reduced through applying an integrated approach to safety on roads. The strategies and programmes for improving road traffic should include the following measures: reducing the risk of exposure to an accident, prevention of accidents, reduction in bodily injuries sustained in accidents, and reduction of the effects of injuries by improvement of post-accident medical care.

O papel da Justiça do Trabalho na prevenção e reparação dos acidentes e doenças ocupacionais / The role of the labor courts in the prevention and compensation of occupational accidents and diseases

Este estudo empírico em direito analisou as decisões da justiça trabalhista para conhecer o papel que esta instituição tem exercido na prevenção e reparação dos acidentes do trabalho, bem como identificar se os avanços teórico-legislativos ocorridos, consistentes em instrumentos jurídicos disponíveis para promover a proteção da vida de trabalhadores e responsabilização dos implicados, estão sendo utilizados na prática jurisdicional. O objetivo geral deste estudo é compreender o papel da Justiça do Trabalho na responsabilização por acidente ou doença do trabalho e a prevenção de novos acidentes, bem como verificar se há condenações criminais dos responsáveis por este tipo de lesão. A unidade básica para analisar esse papel são os processos e decisões judiciais, registros tangíveis da influência que o judiciário tem exercido e de como pensa este poder. A pesquisa qualiquantitativa exploratória coletou dados por meio de consultas online ao banco de dados de jurisprudência de quatro tribunais brasileiros, dois do estado de São Paulo e dois de abrangência nacional (TST, TRT2, TJSP e STJ), com recorte temporal em decisões publicadas no ano de 2015. Os acórdãos em ações sobre acidentes de trabalho e doenças ocupacionais tiveram seus fundamentos e resultados analisados e categorizados. Foram utilizados dois métodos de análise: Análise Comparativa, na qual se comparou o valor da condenação e duração do processo das decisões de igual período na justiça estadual e trabalhista e

This empirical study, on the law area, analyzed the decisions of the labor courts to know the role that this institution has done on the prevention and indemnity of work accidents, as well as at identifying whether the theoretical and legislative progress made, consistent in juridical instruments available to promote protection of life of workers and accountability of those involved, are being used in court practice. This study aims at understanding the role of labor courts on the accountability by work accident or occupational disease and the prevention of new accidents as well as check for criminal convictions of those responsible for this type of injury. The basic unit to analyze this role are the judicial processes and decisions, which are tangible records of the influence that the judiciary has played and how this sector acts. The exploratory quali-quantitative research collected data through online queries of the jurisprudence database of four Brazilian courts, two of São Paulo state and two nationwide (TST, TRT2, TJSP and STJ). This decisions were published in 2015. The judgments about work accidents and occupational diseases had their foundations and results analyzed and categorized. Two methods of analysis were used: Comparative Analysis, in which the value of the conviction and duration of the judicial decisions process of the same period in state labor courts was compared, and Grounded Theory, in which the coding began inductively, from the reading of data from the judgments of all courts. The results showed that the issues of Health and Safety do not have found suitable approach in jurisprudence Brazilian labor, and the preventive protection of work accidents and occupational diseases is timidly used by legal legitimated. In labor indemnity actions, two different situations were found. The regional court confirmed the initial hypothesis of attachment to forensic reports and accountability of workers by the accidents and with small charge of convictions when the responsibility of the employer was recognized. In the nationwide court, the results indicated uniformity of jurisprudence in order to use the theory of risk (strict liability) in segments or functions with high risk, and theory of guilt (subjective responsibility) in other cases, but with presumed guilt of the employer

Rapid assessment of road safety policy change: relaxation of the national speed enforcement law in Russia leads to large increases in the prevalence of speeding.

Reducing vehicle speed is among the most effective road safety strategies. We assess how a new policy in Russia that eliminates fines for driving up to 20 km/h above the speed limit has affected the prevalence of speeding. We measured speeds periodically in 13 districts of two Russian regions during 2011-2013 and analysed the effect of the policy using difference-in-differences to control for seasonality. We find that the prevalence of speeding was declining steadily but half of the gains since mid-2011 were lost immediately after the new policy. Overall speeding increased significantly by 13 percentage points (pp, 95% CI 4 to 19). Speeding more than 10 km/h above the limit increased significantly by 10 pp (95% CI 2 to 12), and extreme speeding increased but not significantly (1.7 pp, 95% CI -1.1 to 4.5). Road traffic injuries will likely increase in Russia unless speeding fines are reinstated.

O impacto da lei seca na redução dos acidentes de transporte terrestre em um município do nordeste brasileiro / The impact of the dry law on the reduction of land transport accidents in a municipality in northeastern Brazil

Os Acidentes de Transporte Terrestre (ATT) são responsáveis pela morte de mais de um milhão de pessoas a cada ano em todo o mundo, além de produzirem grande número de feridos e portadores de sequelas permanentes. Diversos estudos apontam o consumo de bebida alcoólica como um dos principais fatores que contribuem para o acontecimento desses acidentes. O objetivo do presente estudo é analisar o impacto da lei seca nos acidentes de transporte com vítimas em Recife no período de 2007 a 2008. Este artigo expressa alguns pontos importantes que contribuem para a literatura já existente, tendo um diferencial no que se refere ao método: o estimador de diferença em diferenças. Em termos gerais, a dinâmica de consumo de álcool não se altera significantemente durante os dias úteis, mas sim durante os finais de semana em decorrência da lei. Observa-se que a lei reduz o número médio de acidentes no final de semana em -1.472 com relação aos dias úteis, sendo este um resultado estatisticamente significante. Além disto, ao incluirmos os demais controles, além do efeito fixo de mês, obtemos que o efeito médio estimado da lei é de -1.703 acidentes. Verifica-se que a contribuição do estudo para a literatura previamente existente é de extrema relevância, ficando evidente que são ainda insuficientes e escassos, com registro de estudos apenas descritivos. Diante do expostose faz necessário o investimento com a fiscalização para cumprimento dessa lei.(AU)

Accidents on Land Transport (ATT) are responsible for over one million deaths each year worldwide. They also produce large numbers of casualties and patients with permanent injuries. Several studies indicate the consumption of alcohol as a major factor contributing to the occurrence of such accidents. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of alcohol prohibition (lei Seca) on traffic accidents with victims in Recife during the years between 2007 and 2008. This article demonstrates some important points that contribute to the already existing literature especially regarding the type of method adopted, namely, Difference in differences. In general, the results found the dynamics of alcohol consumption do not change significantly during the weekdays, but they do change during weekends due to the law: lei seca. Therefore, the law reduces the average number of accidents over the weekend in -1472 relative to weekdays which is statistically significant. When we include other controls for exempla the fixed effects of month, we obtain that the estimated average effect of law is -1703 accidents. The contribution of the study to the previously existing literature is extremely important going beyond descriptive studies. Giving the method and the results obtained in this study it is extremely mandatory the spending public money on surveillance compliance with that law.(AU)

Effectiveness of the 2005 compulsory personal flotation device (PFD) wearing regulations in reducing drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the Victorian mandatory personal flotation device wearing regulations that came into effect on 1 December 2005 reduced drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia. DESIGN: A retrospective population-based 'before and after' study using Victorian coronial data on drowning deaths of occupants of recreational vessels operating in Victorian waters. METHODS: The annual numbers of deaths in the 5 years after the transition year of the regulations (2005) was compared with the annual numbers of deaths in the 6 years prior to the transition year, using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There were 59 recreational boating drowning deaths in the 6-year preintervention period (1 December 1998 to 30 November 2004) compared with 16 in the 5-year postintervention period (1 December 2005 to 30 November 2010). The analysis showed a significant decrease in drowning deaths among all recreational boaters (U=30.0, p=0.01) and among these strata: vessel occupants aged 0-29 years (U=28.0, p=0.02) and 30-59 years (U=27.5, p=0.02), vessel occupants engaged in pleasure cruising (U=29.0, p=0.01) and in 'other' boating activities (U=25.0, p=0.04), boaters on small powerboats ≤4.8 m in length (U=29.5; p=0.01), boaters on motorised (U=29.5; p=0.01) and sail-powered vessels (U=26.0; p=0.04), and occupants of vessels operating in inland waterways (U=30.0; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide further support for the adoption of a regulatory approach to personal flotation device wearing to reduce drowning among recreational boaters.

Effectiveness of an improved road safety policy in Ethiopia: an interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in implementing road safety policy by different low income countries. However; the evidence is scarce on its success in the reduction of crashes, injuries and deaths. This study was conducted to assess whether road crashes, injuries and fatalities was reduced following the road safety regulation introduced as of September 2007 by Oromia Regional State Transport Bureau. METHODS: Routine road traffic accident data for the year 2002-2011were collected from sixteen traffic police offices. Data on average daily vehicle flow was obtained from the Ethiopian Road Authority. Interrupted time series design using segmented linear regression model was applied to estimate the effect of an improved road safety policy. RESULTS: A total of 4,053 crashes occurred on Addis Ababa - Adama/Hawassa main road. Of these crashes, almost half 46.4% (1,880) were property damage, 29.4% (1,193) were fatal and 24.2% (980) injury crashes, resulting 1,392 fatalities and 1,749 injuries. There were statistically significant reductions in non-injury crashes and deaths. Non-injury crash was reduced by 19% and fatality by 12.4% in the first year of implementing the revised transport safety regulation. CONCLUSION: Although revised road safety policy helped in reducing motor vehicle crashes and associated fatalities, the overall incidence rate is still very high. Further action is required to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

'A child restraint for every child on every trip'.

Child passenger injury from road traffic crashes is a leading contributor to New Zealand's paediatric trauma-related mortality and morbidity. New Zealand has significantly higher rates of child passenger injury than internationally comparable countries. Correctly used child restraints can prevent death and severe injury of child passengers. Despite huge efforts by individuals and Non-Government Organisations to promote up-to-date height-based legislation and to distribute child restraints, the New Zealand Government has a tepid commitment to promoting child passenger safety. Further change is needed, in both our child restraint legislation and practice. This paper highlights the recommendations from a Paediatric Society of New Zealand Position Statement for the correct use of child restraints. This information should be used by all health professionals to advocate for and implement this important injury prevention initiative.

Changing life jacket wearing behavior: an evaluation of two approaches.

In the United States during 1999-2012, about 4 per cent of adults wore life jackets while engaged in recreation on powerboats. Educational campaigns have promoted life jacket use. Mandatory use regulations target primarily children or boaters on personal watercrafts or water skiing. We describe findings from two interventions - 'Wear It California!', a targeted marketing campaign in the California Delta region and mandatory wear regulations at four US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) lakes in the state of Mississippi. Before the campaign in the Delta, adult wear was 8.5 per cent, increasing to 12.1 per cent during the first year, dipping to 9.4 per cent during the second year, and rising slightly to 10.5 per cent 3 plus years after the campaign. Before mandatory regulations at USACE lakes, adult wear was 13.7 per cent, increasing to 75.6 per cent during the first year, 70.1 per cent during the second year, and remaining high at 68.1 per cent in the third year. Policymakers should consider these findings when choosing how to increase life jacket use.