Opportunities for knowledge translation in the decade of road traffic safety

This article considers the role of knowledge translation as an important aspect of the current United Nations campaign called the Decade of Action for Road Traffic Safety (2011-2020). There are 5 tiers to this safety program: improving health care services, improving management of road safety, improving road network safety, improving vehicular safety, and improving road safety legislation. The authors review published, practical research in each of these 5 areas, focusing on identifying areas that need additional research. They note that much research focuses only on whether crashes result in survivors or fatalities, rather than characterizing crash victims who may experience ongoing disabilities as a result of a crash. This is true especially when categorizing orthopedic injuries in patients who survive crashes. The authors call for the development of a method of capturing different orthopedic injuries into an appropriate database that can then be correlated with disability in survivors of road traffic crashes. Other topics covered include the need for changes in basic transportation infrastructure, including that designed for use by bicyclists and pedestrians; the role of redesigned vehicle bumpers for pedestrian and bicyclist safety; the role of 2-wheeled motorized vehicles, particularly in the developing world; returning to driving after an orthopedic injury to the arms, legs, and/or pelvis; and legislation designed to improve vehicular safety.