ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEPRIVATION ON SCOTLAND WEST-COAST

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are declining, but remain a public healt h concern locally and worldwide. Scottish RTAs killed 316 people and i njured over 20,000 in 1996. By 2020, they are predicted to become the world's third-leading cause of sickness and death. Little is known abo ut associations between RTAs and deprivation; it has never been explor ed on Scotland's West Coast. This study analysed hospital A&E admissio ns and investigated associations between RTAs and socio-economic statu s. 1,300 attendance records at a 575-bed NHS Trust Accident & Emergenc y in North Lanarkshire were reviewed and 1,020 record; analysed in con junction with Health Board socio-economic data. Findings strongly sugg est (p = 0.00461) a positive trend between RTA activity and deprivatio n. Significance held for gender, victim role, purpose of journey and a ge, except for drivers 60 and over. Given the preventative nature of R TAs and their contribution to morbidity and mortality: further researc h between RTAs and deprivation is suggested.