Road traffic mortality in Moscow: record linkage study using police data and vital statistics
Abstract
In Moscow, the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents (RTA) in 2016? was, according to police data, 561 people, while Rosstat, using the WHO approach for grouping ICD-10 transport-related codes, puts the number at 790, or 40% higher. Since reliable data are crucial for estimating road traffic mortality and developing effective road safety measures, it is important to understand the reasons for the discrepancy in the two data sources. The main aim of the research is to identify and quantify the factors causing this discrepancy by linking individual records of those who died in RTA in Moscow in 2016. Mortality statistics (1,891,016 death records) and police data on 20,302 road traffic fatalities in Russia in 2016 were used in the research. Both data sources were individual non-personalized records. According to the WHO approach, 790 people died in RTA in Moscow in 2016, but only 561 persons according to police data.
As a result of the linkage, 944 records were obtained with Moscow mentioned in at least one of the two data sources; of these, 699 records can be regarded as matched, 245 as non-matched. Of the 561 police records, 84.1% were linked with death records; of the 790 deaths records, 80.3% were linked with police data.
In 6% of linked death and police records the ICD-10 codes used are not part of the codes used by the WHO. In 35% of the linked records, the region of registration of the accident was different from the region of registration of the death.
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References
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