Incidence and trend of road traffic injuries and related deaths in Kuwait: 2000-2009

Road traffic injuries (RTIs), disabilities and deaths are recognised as a major public health problem worldwide. This study aimed to quantify the magnitude and the trends of RTI-related fatal and non-fatal injuries in Kuwait for the period 2000-2009. Data on road traffic crashes and related events (i.e., fatal and non-fatal minor and severe injuries) were obtained from police records, and the population data were sought from Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. From 2000 to 2009, 11,591 non-fatal RTIs and 3891 RTIs-related deaths occurred in Kuwait. Non-fatal severe RTIs accounted for 28.2% of the total non-fatal RTIs. Of the 2945 RTI-related deaths that occurred from 2003 to 2009, majority were amongst males (87.3%) and in the age range of 20-59 years (70.8%). The mean (SD) annual mortality rates for the 10-year study period (2000-2009) were 14 (1) per 100,000 population and 36 (2) per 100,000 registered vehicles. From 2000 to 2009, population-based and registered vehicle-based overall RTI-related crude mortality rates decreased by 20% and 29%, respectively. However, Poisson regression analyses showed that the overall slightly decreasing trends were statistically non-significant both for population-based crude mortality rate (trend coefficient = -0.016; p(trend) = 0.587) and registered vehicle-based crude mortality rate (trend coefficient = =0.024; p(trend) = 0.192). Furthermore, the trend in population-based age-adjusted RTI-related mortality rate for 2003-2009 was also statistically non-significant (trend coefficient = -0.050; p(trend) = 0.284). For non-fatal severe RTIs, the overall mean (SD) annual rates per 100,000 population and 100,000 registered vehicles were 44 (23) and 113 (60) with corresponding total reduction of 61% and 66% from 2000 to 2009. The overall declining trends in minor and severe RTI rates (both population based and registered vehicles based) were statistically significant (p(trend) < 0.001). Despite declined minor and severe RTI rates, the RTI-related crude and age-adjusted mortality rates during the past decade continued to be high for a high-income country. Targeted interventions may help reduce the burden of minor and severe RTIs and related deaths in Kuwait and other countries in the region. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.