Road traffic accidents and suicide rates in Europe

Abstract

Introduction

Road traffic death and suicide may have some similarity in their psychological correlates; furthermore, road traffic should be considered as a suicide method.

Aims

The present study aims to explore the relationship between road traffic deaths and suicides in Europe.

Methods

Rates of road traffic accident deaths and suicides and gross national income (GNI) per capita for 40 European nations were obtained from the world health organization official database. The total sample was divided on 22 eastern European nations and 18 western European nations.

Results

Mortality rate from road traffic accidents in groups of all European nations is associated positively with suicides (Pearson r = 0.45, two-tailed P < 0.01) and negatively with GNI (r = −0.64, P < 0.0001). At the same time suicide rates does not reveal a significant correlation with GNI. In the groups of eastern European nations road traffic deaths is associated positively with suicides (r = 0.57, P < 0.01) and relationship with GNI is not significant. As a contrast, in the groups of western European nations road traffic deaths is associated negatively with GNI (r = −0.69, P < 0.01) and shows any significant relationship with suicides. Although in this group, suicides show some positive correlation with GNP (r = 0.45, P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The present data indicate, therefore, that mode of ecological association between three studied indices is various in the different group of European nations what suggests the multifactorial complexity of violent death etiological mechanisms. At the same time, the data allow to suggest that socioeconomic factors are more essential in prevention of road traffic mortality than suicides.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.