TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WITH PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS : A CASE STUDY OF THE STATE OF SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL

Transportation accidents generate thousands of fatal and nonfatal victims annually, constituting a serious public health problem in Brazil, causing, besides the social impacts, impacts on the country's economy. There are few articles in Brazil that investigate this problem, in order to subsidize strategies to reduce these rates. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the evolution of transport accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, with reference to municipal records in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. This evaluation was based on records of deaths and hospital admissions, available by the Ministry of Health. The evaluation resulted in maps developed in Geographic Information System containing the accident rates, besides allowing the identification of the evolution of the accident records, considering period of 20 years. In general, there is a decrease in accident rates in the State (fatal and non-fatal) for cyclists and pedestrians. Urban improvements and public policies contributed directly to the promotion of active transportation, generating an increase in the number of cyclist users, and a significant reduction in accidents related to the increase in the number of users of this modal.