A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce motor vehicle crashes and their injuries among the general and working populations.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the best available international scientific evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce motor vehicle collisions and their consequences among the working and general populations.

METHODS

A broad and systematic review was conducted of the literature available in biomedical databases and grey literature. At least two investigators working in parallel performed data extraction, synthesis, and risk of bias analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-one studies with low to moderate risk of bias were included. Of these, 18 had an ecological design (time series), 10 were quasi-experimental, one was a population survey, one was a randomized clinical trial, and 11 were systematic reviews.

CONCLUSIONS

The interventions that most consistently show a positive effect on incidence, morbidity, and mortality due to motor vehicle collisions are national policies or programs that: regulate, enforce, and penalize driving under the influence of alcohol; improve driving safety and driver conditions; improve road infrastructure with the purpose of preventing collisions; and educate and penalize drivers with a history of road violations.