Road Safety on Data Collection of Motorcycle Crashes
Sharing Experiences from Bangladesh
Dr Abu Talab, MSc Statistics, (MPH Epi & Bio-Statistics), PhD

Senior Statistician & Head of Data Management

Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh

Road traffic injuries: the global scenario

 Road traffic injuries kill around 1.25 million people while up to 50 millionpeople incur non-fatal injuries each year as a result of road traffic crashes• It is predicted that road traffic injuries would become the seventh leading
cause of death by 2030 if appropriate measures are taken to prevent.

Year
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

Table 1: Trends in reported road traffic deaths in Bangladesh
Accid

Total Death

Rate per 100ents

injury000 population

3917 2752
3955 2755
3794 2409
4869 3273
4427 3284
3381 2686
2827 1803
2667 1641
2636 2134
2029 1396
2027 1535
2394 1958
2566 2134

s

2968
3187
3193
3749
3765
2958
2646
2546
2538
1957
2067
2376
2463

Data from other sources (NGO’s)
DeathsRate/100000

2.10 13000(862,7% Motor cycl) BHIS (9.20)
2.22
2.20
2.55
2.531.97
1.74
1.65
1.63
1.24
1.30
1.47 21316
WHO (13.60)
1.51 23166(2674, 12% Mot. Cy) BHIS (14.48)

Table 2: Estimated number of deaths from injuries, all ages

External leading
cause of fatal injury

Mechanism of Injury

PerperRate/
Motor cycle Rate/year(n) day(n) 100000 Per/year
100000

1st leading

Suicide23868

2nd leading

Road Traffic Injury

23166

66

64

14.92
14.48

3rd leading

Drowning

19247

53

12.03

6th leading

Homicide

6475

18

4.05

4th leading
5th leading
7th leading

8th leading
9th leading

10thleading

11thLeading
12thleading

Falls

Electrocution

Animal Injury

Unintentional Poisoning

15045
9210

3248
2672

41

9.40

9

2.03

25

5.76

7

1.67

Burns

2714

7

1.70

Machine Injury

534

10.33

Blunt object Injury
Cut

Total

1624
555

108358

42297

1.02
0.35
67.72

2674

1.67

Table 3: Estimated number of injury morbidity, all ages

Rank of non- Mechanism ofInjury
fatal injury

per year per day

1st leading

5930470

2st leading

3rd leading

4th leading
5th leading

6th leading

7th leading
8th leading
9th leading

10th leading

11th leading
12th leading

13th leading

Falls
Cut

Road Traffic Injury
Blunt object Injury
Burns

Animal Injury

Assault/homicide
Machine Injury
Electrocution
Drowning

Suffocation

Unintentional Poisoning
Suicide attempt

Unknown

45441713420299

1712774
15866651319431629530381908270622144576
39605
28090
15981
9428

16248
12450

9371(2054)
4693
4347

3615

1725
1046
741
396

109
77
44

26

Rate/
1000003706.52840.1

2137.71070.5
991.7

824.6

393.5
238.7
169.1
90.4

24.8

17.6

10.0
5.9

Motorc Rate/ycle/yr 100000

747554467.22

Table 4: Estimated number of permanent disability due to injury in all ages

External cause Mechanism ofof disability
injuryPeryear

1st leading

Falls

82954

227

4th leading

Machine Injury

18551

51

6th leading

Animal Injury

10408

2st leading

3rd leading
5th leading
7th leading
8th leading
9th leading

Road Traffic Injury
Cuts

Blunt Object
Injury

Burns
Total

18791

12367

Assault/violenceElectrocution

80448

8448
7163
2265

241395Perday

220
51

34

29

23
20
6661

Source: BHIS 2016

Rate/1
00000

51.8
50.3
11.7
11.6
7.7
6.5
5.3
4.5
1.4
150.9

Mtor
cycle/yr.

PerdayRate/
100000

11764

32

7.35

Figure1:Mode of transport at the time of non-fatal RTI
Others(Working on the road/playing onthe road) 3%

Passenger
36%
Helper/conductor
1%
Motorcyclists
12%

Pedestrian
14%
Driver (Auto rickshaw,Tempoo, pick up, Jeep,microbus ect])21%

Bicyclists
13%Figure 2 :Activity of the injured persons at the time of non-fatal RTI

Playing
3%
Working on road1%

Others3%

Helping driver1%
Way to work
places32%

Way to school
9%

Wandering
25%

Driving26%

Table 5 : Use of Safety Device (seat belt and helmet), mobile phone and drug at thetime of RTI among driver and motorcyclists

Injury morbidity

Used, n(%)

Not used, n(%)

Driver (seat belt)
Morbidity
Mortality28(2.1)----

Motor cyclists (helmet)
Morbidity
Mortality
TotalMorbidity----

224(28.1)

574(71.9)225 (24.05)

578 (75.95)

95(4.50%)2037(95.50%)

80(3.80 %)2052(96.20%)

1(20.0)

Mobile phone (Driver and motorcyclist)
Morbidity

1306(97.9)4(80.0)Drug (alcohol or substance)(Driver & Motorcyclist)Table 6 :Incidence of non-fatal and fatal RTI related injury occurred by time & place, n (%), 95% CI

Incidence of non-fatal andNon-fatal, n=6476, %,fatal injury by occurred time

(95%CI)00-6am54

0.8(00.64-01.09)

3

7.0(2.40-18.61)

1552

24.0(22.94-25.02)

13

30.2(18.06-45.01)

6.01-9.00 am
9.01-12.00pm
12.01 pm-15.00 pm
15.01 pm-18.00 pm
18.01 pm-21.00 pm
21.01 pm 24.00 pm
6.01 am-18.00 pm (by day)18.01 pm-6.00 am (by night)

266

1978

1642

826

4.1(03.65-04.62)

30.5(29.43-31.68)

25.4(24.31-26.43)

12.8(11.96-13.59)

Fatal, n=43, %, 95%CI

6

4

88

14.0(6.55-27.26)

9.3(3.68-21.6)

18.6(9.74-32.62)

18.6(9.74-32.62)

158

2.4(02.09-02.84)

1

2.3(0.41-12.06)

1038

16.0(15.16-16.94)

1227.9(16.75-42.69)

5438

84.0(83.06-84.84)

3172.1(57.31-83.25)

Road Traffic Injuries: Bangladesh Perspective
 RTi is a major public health problem in the world where it is neglected in low andmiddle income countries like Bangladesh We believe RTi is predictable and preventable. Research is the gate-way to injury
prevention activities

 BHIS estimated that rate per 100 000 population 14.48 & 2nd leading causes of death Estimated GDP lost due to road traffic crashes 1.6%

Why do we need road traffic crash data?

Major issues regarding accident data include reliable data source, variables involved, methods ofcollection, provisions for storage and retrieval etc. The current road accidents report form ofBangladesh is not comprehensive enough to conduct an in depth investigation. The form contains69 fields of information from which only the general characteristics analysis of accidents can becarried out. This paper describes the process of accident data collection including data collecting
agencies, reporting and recording system and data processing of accident database. It also
includes identification and assessment of variables involved in accident and reviews the potential
sources of errors in accident data collection. Accident statistics depend critically on the accuracyof data itself as well as on the reliability of the sequence of information links.
It is observed that the sources of accident data are biased due to under-reporting, particularly inthe case of non-fatal accidents. However, the traditional data sources such as police data is also
grossly under-reported in case of the fatal RTI events in Bangladesh. For example, police statistics
showed 3160 deaths due to RTI in 2003, whereas the Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey (BHIS)
reported 13,000 RTI deaths in the same year. Similarly, a recent police report showed 2538 deaths
due to road crashes in 2012 and 2376 in 2015, much lower than the 21,316 road traffic deaths
estimated by the WHO in 2015 and 23116 in Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey 2016.

To address the gaps in data collection, process a standard tool needs to be developed and theObjectives• To Identify the range of risk factors, including economic imperative,
regulatory and governance failures, and behavioral deficits that render
severely unsafe in Bangladesh• Develop a institutional landscape of key actors and stakeholders whoseengagement is central to any effective redressed of unsafe roads• Situation of road traffic injury care, rehabilitation and institutionalsupport of victims and households• Though a wide-ranging consultation process, established a holistic roadsafety agenda and action plan that can inform and shape a major
advocacy initiative.

•••Road traffic crash/accident data is grossly under-reported inBangladesh;Standard data collection forms need to be developed following globalguideline; andProper (hands on) training should be given to the data collectors(police officers and responsible persons in other agencies).

Conclusion
There is a requirement of pragmatic health policy and implementation strategy
where both must equally emphasize on preventative and curative approaches.

To develop such strategy, understanding and updated knowledge regarding injury
magnitude and determinants are necessary
The study findings will support in improving knowledge of health professionals,
health policy planners in designing health programs in national, regional andinternational influence.

Recommendations• Rti should be included in the priority agenda of health issues• A feasible national Rti prevention strategy should be develop and implemented• As Rti prevention is a cross-cutting issue, a multi-sectoral committee should be formed
involving representatives from the relevant ministries. Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge
and Ministry of Health & Family welfare should be the lead ministry. This committee should
provide policy guidance, approval of the strategy and provide support to implement theintervention as per plan.
• Evidence based interventions should be scaled up throughout the country• Existing Management Information Systems (MIS) to be strengthen to obtain RTi data from all
sources including community• Government agencies including the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge, Ministry of Local
Government and Engineering Department (LGED), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare/Directorate General of Health Services(MOHFW/DGHS) should encourage and support for
conducting research to improve understanding of effectiveness of potential interventions forRti prevention• Awareness raising and capacity building on Rti prevention should be introduced andencouraged immediately

Thank You!