Russian roulette in Brazil: The country ranks 5th in traffic deaths.
The numbers are alarming: Brazil has already surpassed the mark of 40 deaths in 2010, with a total of 145 hospitalizations in the SUS (Unified Health System) and an expenditure of R$ 190 million; in São Paulo, a father and son died instantly after being hit by another vehicle (left) and two sanitation workers were fatal victims of a hit-and-run, all in October alone.
Julliana Araújo_247 - A survey conducted by the Ministry of Health revealed that 40 people died in traffic accidents in 2010. This number places the country 5th in the world ranking, behind only India, China, the USA, and Russia. The number of hospitalizations reached 145 in the Unified Health System (SUS), and the Brazilian government's spending on specific procedures for traffic accident victims reached R$ 190 million. The problem is already considered an epidemic by the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha.
According to the Mortality Information System (SIM) of the Ministry of Health, between 2002 and 2010, the total number of deaths from road traffic accidents increased by 24%: from 32.753 to 40.610 deaths. The Northeast is the second region with the highest increase in deaths, with a 48% rise, behind the North, with 53%. In third place is the Central-West (22%), South (17%) and Southeast (10%).
The increase in the number of deaths resulting from motorcycle accidents worries Padilha. In the Northeast alone, the rate has grown by 158%. “This year, the numbers for the first semester indicate that there are 72,4 hospitalizations of traffic accident victims in the country. Of this total, 35,7 are motorcycle victims, which represents almost 50%. The proportion continues to rise,” says Padilha.
In September alone, the Agamenon Magalhaes Hospital (HAM), one of the leading trauma centers in Pernambuco, treated 2.895 accident victims, of which 2.067 were victims of motorcycle accidents. The number of victims of accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles is so alarming that the Pernambuco government created an institutional campaign to warn motorcyclists about the importance of riding cautiously.
To prevent these cases, the Ministries of Health and Cities signed, last May, the National Pact for the Reduction of Traffic Accidents – Pact for Life. The goal is to stabilize and reduce the number of deaths and injuries in road traffic accidents over the next ten years, in accordance with the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, a recommendation of the United Nations (UN), coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Another initiative is the Life in Traffic Project, launched in June 2010. Its main objective is to reduce traffic injuries and deaths in municipalities selected by an inter-ministerial commission. For the project's initial launch, the chosen cities were Teresina (PI), Palmas (TO), Campo Grande (MS), Belo Horizonte (MG), and Curitiba (PR).