Car accidents in Brazil: an observational study of the “Lei Seca” operation

Gabriela Granja Porto, Caio César Gonçalves Silva, Vinícius Balan Santos Pereira, Juliana Job De Oliveira, Antonio Azoubel Antunes, Jefferson Figueiredo Leal

Introduction: Educational campaigns associated to more strict laws have been imposed in order to decrease morbidity of car accidents involving alcohol ingestion. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform an epidemiological survey of car accidents in Brazil. Methods: An observational descriptive study of epidemiological data of car accidents was carried out from 2003 to 2013. Data were collected from the Ministry of Health website, DATASUS. Annual numbers were obtained from the total number of admissions, the costs of the days of hospitalization and of the total treatment and the total days of hospitalization. After data collection, Microsoft Excel software was used for data tabulation. The results were evaluated five years before and five years after 2008, the year of implementation of this law in Brazil. Results: Out of 10 years evaluated, it could be noted that the numbers of hospitalization were led by the Southeast region, and gradually increased in all regions until 2008, when this number dropped. Regarding the average amount spent by internment in all regions, there was an increase during the 10-year period, from an average of 1000 reais in 2003 to values greater than 2000 reais in 2013. The average hospital stay ranged from 6 to 8 days in all five regions of Brazil. Conclusions: Declining rates of hospitalization involving car accidents were observed with the intensification of “Lei Seca” operation.

Keywords: Accident prevention. Traffic accidents. Ethanol. Automobile driving.

How to cite: Porto GG, Silva CCG, Pereira VBS, Oliveira JJ, Antunes AA, Leal JF. Acidentes automobilísticos no Brasil: estudo observacional da Operação Lei Seca. J Braz Coll Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2015 set-dez;1(3):27-32. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14436/2358-2782.1.3.027-032.oar

Thursday, May 02, 2024 00:24