Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
College/Unit
School of Public Health
Department/Program/Center
Epidemiology
Abstract
Background Data from the Chinese police service suggest substantial reductions in road traffic injuries since 2002, but critics have questioned the accuracy of those data, especially considering conflicting data reported by the health department. Methods To address the gap between police and health department data and to determine which may be more accurate, we conducted a simulation study based on the modified Smeed equation, which delineates a non-linear relation between road traffic mortality and the level of motorization in a country or region. Our goal was to simulate trends in road traffic mortality in China and compare performances in road traffic safety management between China and 13 other countries. Results Chinese police data indicate a peak in road traffic mortalities in 2002 and a significant and a gradual decrease in population-based road traffic mortality since 2002. Health department data show the road traffic mortality peaked in 2012. In addition, police data suggest China’s road traffic mortality peaked at a much lower motorization level (0.061 motor vehicles per person) in 2002, followed by a reduction in mortality to a level comparable to that of developed countries. Simulation results based on health department data suggest high road traffic mortality, with a mortality peak in 2012 at a moderate motorization level (0.174 motor vehicles per person). Comparisons to the other 13 countries suggest the health data from China may be more valid than the police data. Conclusion Our simulation data indicate China is still at a stage of high road traffic mortality, as suggested by health data, rather than a stage of low road traffic mortality, as suggested by police data. More efforts are needed to integrate safety into road design, improve road traffic management, improve data quality, and alter unsafe behaviors of pedestrians, drivers and passengers in China.
Digital Commons Citation
Huang, Helai; Yin, Qingyi; Schwebel, David C.; Li, Li; and Hu, Guoqing, "Examining Road Traffic Mortality Status in China: A Simulation Study" (2016). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 2175.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/2175
Source Citation
Huang, H., Yin, Q., Schwebel, D. C., Li, L., & Hu, G. (2016). Examining Road Traffic Mortality Status in China: A Simulation Study. PLOS ONE, 11(4), e0153251. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153251
Comments
© 2016 Huang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.