High Mortality Rates from Road Traffic Accidents in the Russian Federation: Possible Causes and Ways to Overcome Challenges

Abstract

Road traffic accidents cause enormous material and moral damage both to the society as a whole and to individual citizens. According to the data, the Russian Federation is among countries with highest road traffic mortality rates within European Region of the World Health Organization.
The objective of the study was to attempt to identify possible causes of high mortality rates from traffic accidents on the roads of the Russian Federation and to reveal ways to reduce those rates.
To that purpose a survey of citizens of the Russian Federation who are driver’s license owners and who are experienced drivers was conducted in different regions of the country. The results identified low medical literacy in terms of provision of first aid to the injured persons as one of the causes.
Other factors, potentially capable to reduce the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents, once their performance indicators improve, have also been considered. Those indicators comprise time of arrival of ambulance crews at the site of an accident with enough medical equipment and medicines, interaction of emergency services, growth of efficiency of training in providing primary medical care at driving schools.