Adult road mortality inequalities in Colombia: challenges in closing the gap and reducing the road incident burden

Abstract

This study examines educational inequities in road mortality in adult men and women in total and by age group (young, mature, and senior). Data from national road traffic death registries were linked to population censuses to obtain adult mortality rates by educational level. A Poisson regression was used to model educational inequities using the Relative Inequity Index (RII). As in other contexts, a constant decrease in Road Traffic Mortality (RTM) between 1985 and 2010 was found in Colombia. However, as of 2011, a reversal of the trend was found. The reductions were maintained until the end of the period in the educational and age groups least affected by the event: women, young adults (25-44 years), and those who accessed tertiary education. These trends led to growing inequality in mortality from road incidents in the most affected groups. For the study period, the striking contribution of adult mortality from road crashes worsened and became more pronounced among older men. There is a need for social policy approaches that address the age group, educational level, and age differences in the risk of fatal events caused by traffic.