M.P.H., Faculty of Health, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / In South Africa, injury remains one of the major causes of death. International data also suggests that intentional and unintentional deaths are on the increase globally with highest increases noted in the middle and low income economies. The National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) which captures only 40% of all annual nonnatural deaths revealed that 27% of these deaths occurring mainly in adults and children are motor vehicle related. 58% of these are pedestrians. The rationale of this study stems from the findings for the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) of 2002, which indicated a high pedestrian mortality. This study is a descriptive cross sectional analysis of pedestrian related mortality data from an existing NIMSS database. Continuous variables were summarised using means and standard deviation while categorical variable were summarised using proportions. Summary data were presented in graphs and tables. This was conducted using a statistical programme STATA10. Between 2001 and 2005, motor vehicle transport related deaths comprised 11.32% of all recorded un-natural deaths in Soweto with pedestrians accounting for 50% of deaths. The Pedestrian mortality comprised the dominant proportion of all motor vehicle related mortality from 2001to2005 (compared to drivers, passengers and unspecified road user categories). From the results of the study, it was shown that most pedestrian deaths occurred in the black population group, followed by coloureds. It also confirmed that the majority of pedestrian deaths were of the male gender group. With regards to time and day of death, it concluded that pedestrian deaths occurred in between 1800h and 2400h, mainly over weekends, whereas by age group, age group, most pedestrian fatalities were adolescents and young adults followed by children. When it came to access to emergency medical care, the study showed that the majority of dead pedestrians were never attended to by Emergency Medical personnel. Blood alcohol concentrations were raised in a high percentage of those fatalities in whom it was possible to measure such concentrations, suggesting that alcohol played a significant role in pedestrian deaths. A number of preventative and advocacy initiatives are recommended, with emphasis on broad based stake holder participation, education, engineering, as well as targeted interventions that address specific issues that were identified as major contributing factors to the observed increased vulnerability in those specific categories of pedestrians.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst.

Diss. Stockholm : Karol. inst.

Diss. Med. Bern.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Community Health May 2012 / South Africa has seen a 23% rise in the annual numbers of fatalities due to road traffic accidents between 2001 and 2008. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are estimated to cost 1.5% of the Gross National Product (GNP) in middle-income countries like South Africa. In South Africa, 60% of all acute injuries are treated in a hospital, 75% of those in public facilities placing a significant burden on public hospitals. Generally there are no cost data available from the public hospital information systems as it not routinely collected, yet cost information is necessary for the purpose of accurate reimbursement from entities such as the Road Accident Fund (RAF) which provides medical insurance for all road users in South Africa.

Motor vehicle collisions are one of the leading circumstances of death worldwide and are contributory to the second most common circumstance of death in South Africa, “transport-related deaths”. A total of 3248 transport-related deaths were recorded in Gauteng alone in 2009 and for that reason motor vehicle collisions pose a substantial threat to the South African population. This study was undertaken to determine if specific patterns of injuries in victims of fatal motor vehicle collisions existed. For the purposes of this study, “patterns of injury” can be defined as similar injuries of similar severities repeatedly and predictably occurring in similar body regions. The study consisted of all individuals involved in fatal collisions who fit the inclusion criteria during the period between 13 May 2011 and 1 June 2012. The external, visceral, and skeletal injuries sustained by the individuals involved in fatal motor vehicle collisions were observed via x-ray and photographic procedures performed by the investigator, as well as documentation from the Forensic Medical Practitioner/scribe notes. The South African Police Force attending officer’s affidavit and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Force Accident Reports were used to determine the make and model of the vehicle, the occupant’s position, type of collision and object with which the vehicle collided. The study’s results indicated that distinct patterns of injuries existed for those individuals involved in fatal motor vehicle collisions. The most frequently observed patterns of injuries included either severe head injuries in isolation, severe thoracic and/or abdominal injuries in isolation, or a combination of the two. Distinct patterns of injuries were noted for individuals occupying different types of vehicles but not for individuals occupying different positions within a single vehicle which is contrary to other international findings.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-269). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [120]-128).

Inaug.-Diss. Med. Bern, 1940.