Publication: The Burden of Road Traffic Injuries in Brazil: Evidence for Policy
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2025-09-08
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2025-09-08
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In 2023, Brazil recorded more than 34,000 fatalities due to road traffic injuries (RTIs). Most of the victims were traveling by motorcycle. This assessment of the burden of RTIs, disabilities, and deaths consists of: (1) a road safety analysis using available official data in Brazil; (2) a computation of globally recognized metrics for assessing the burden of disease, including years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); (3) a comprehensive cost analysis of traffic crashes in Brazil to estimate expenses related to medical care, hospital stays, production losses, human and administrative costs, property damage, and other traffic-related costs; and (4) the collection and analysis of primary data on RTIs from hospital surveillance and the monitoring of crash victims after hospital discharge—as assessed one and three months after discharge.
Key findings from assessing the burden of RTIs in Brazil using global metrics found that, in 2021–22, RTIs and associated deaths resulted in 1.7 million YLL, 637,000 YLD, and 2.34 million DALYs in Brazil. Males accounted for the majority of the total DALYs at 83.7 percent. Motorcyclists contributed to 55.5 percent of total male DALYs, and 39.0 percent of DALYs among women. An estimate of the total costs of road traffic crashes in Brazil—factoring in medical expenses, hospital care, production losses, human costs, administrative expenses, property damage, and other costs—reveals that the total cost of traffic crashes in Brazil is an estimated US$61.3 billion per year, representing 3.8 percent of GDP. Intangible human costs represent 57 percent of the total cost, while production losses make up 17 percent of the total cost. Based on these and other findings from hospital surveys, the study recommends that Brazilian policymakers: (1) embrace road safety as a high political commitment; (2) shift road design culture and practice; (3) implement evidence-based policy from data-driven analysis; and (4) manage exposure through safer modal split.
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“Lamas, C.B.; Caldeira, G.P.; Obelheiro, M.R.; Bastos, J.T.. 2025. The Burden of Road Traffic Injuries in Brazil: Evidence for Policy. Mobility and Transport Connectivity Series. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43640 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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