Safe Transportation Research & Education Center

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) cause enormous morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The Global Burden of Disease Study projected that RTAs will be the third highest cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) by 2020. Ninety percent of the DALYs due to RTAs are in developing countries. Because the majority of trauma deaths in developing nations occur in the prehospital setting, it is imperative that emergency medical systems be established and improved in such countries. Two studies in Central America found that increasing the number of emergency dispatch units and prehospital personnel training increased the utilization of emergency medical devices and lowered the percentage of patients who die en route to the hospital.