Road safety and burden of Road Traffic Injuries in Republic of North Macedonia

Abstract

Background Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a serious public health problem in Republic of North Macedonia (Macedonia). The main objective was to analyze the burden of RTIs in Macedonia. Methods Burden of RTIs on national level has been estimated in a retrospective study for 2015 and 2017 applying WHO standard method and software application. Data from Ministry of Internal affairs, State Statistical Office and medical records for RTIs have been used. Results The estimated burden of RTIs in 2017 is 4.894 DALYs (3.157 YLLs and 1.737 YLDs) which is lower than in 2015 with 4 960 DALYs lost (3 134 YLLs and 1 826 YLDs). There is strong correlation with sex and age. The burden of RTIs is significantly higher in males, with three times more DALYs lost than in females in 2017 (χ2 = 28, df = 1, p < 0,01). The most vulnerable are younger at age group 15-29 years with the most DALYs lost or 4.4 DALYs per 1000 in 2017. There is no significant difference between Macedonia and Europe in RTIs participation in the total burden of disease and injury in 2017 (coefficient of determination r2 = 0.9784, correlation coefficient (r) = -0,6128 and p = 0.2671). Conclusion Road safety has been set as priority for the Government for evidence based policy interventions such as national strategy and legislation development, but still their enforcement should be strengthened to improve road safety. Key messages  Regular estimation of RTIs burden is crucial for evidence based road safety policy interventions  Monitoring of legislation endorsement to enhance road safety