Mortality by road traffic accidents in adolescents and young people, Brazil, 1996-2015: will we achieve SDG 3.6?

Abstract This paper aims to analyze the main characteristics of Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) mortality in Brazil for the period 1996-2015, focusing on the 10-29 years’ age group. This is a two-step study consisting of (i) a bibliographic review on the topic of traffic violence in Brazil, and (ii) a study on RTA mortality in the Mortality Information System (SIM). The former situates the state of the art of scientific production on the theme and produces the theoretical reference for the analysis of the latter. During the period, about 39,000 people died by RTA, of which about 13,200 adolescents and young people died. The country should curb mortality to somewhere around 19,500/year and, among adolescents and young people, to 6,500/year to achieve SDG 3.6. With the establishment of the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB), RTA mortality rate fell between 1997 and 2000. The rate increased in the subsequent decade. The focus on adolescents and young people help us understand that, in the post-CTB and Prohibition, male black and brown motorcyclists became the main victims. The literature provides data analysis and shows that reduction is currently submitted to an articulated discussion that involves worker’s health, gender, employment, urban mobility and advertising policies. Concerning SDG, this means that achieving SDG 3.6 is a process that involves interacting with policies targeting other SDGs.