RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Child pedestrian fatalities in Diyarbakir, Turkey
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 1116
OP 1118
VO 26
IS 7
A1 Goren, Suleyman
A1 Subasi, Mehmet
A1 Gurkan, Fuat
A1 Tirasci, Yasar
A1 Acar, Kemalettin
YR 2005
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/26/7/1116.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE: As there is an increase in modernization, transportation, unskilled, and drunk drivers, injuries from traffic accidents have taken on an epidemic form all over the world. The present study aims to describe the demographic data of childhood pedestrian fatalities in a large urban area in Turkey.METHODS: The demographic data of childhood pedestrian fatalities in a large urban area in Turkey was described retrospectively, with respect to age, gender, injury pattern and location. Cases less than 16 years of age were collected retrospectively from the files of the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir between 1998 and 2003.RESULTS: There were 232 childhood pedestrian fatalities among a total of 267 children involved in lethal traffic accidents. The mean age of the victims was 7.2 years, most of them being in the 6-10 years of age group (49.1%). Male predominated among our victims (76.3%). With regard to injury location, the most common site was the head (73.7%). There was an increase in pedestrian fatalities in the summer season (33.6%). There was no difference in rates of pedestrian deaths between years.CONCLUSION: Child pedestrian deaths have constituted a significant percentage of all child fatalities due to traffic accidents in our region. There were 6.4 deaths per 100,000 populations, and this rate was also higher than in other populations.