PW 0982 Prevalence of behavioral risk factors for road traffic injuries in the city of sao paulo: findings from the bloomberg initiative for global road safety (BIGRS) 2015–2017

Background Sao Paulo is one of the world’s largest urban areas and it was selected as one of the ten cities for the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) project. With nearly 12 million inhabitants and 8 million vehicles, the city has reached a significant decline in road traffic mortality during the last decade (7 deaths per 1 00 000 inhabitants in 2016). Objective To evaluate the performance of interventions aiming to reduce the prevalence of four key road safety risk factors (speeding, drink and driving, seatbelt and helmet use) during 2015–2017 in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods Following a baseline study performed in 2015, observational studies monitoring these risk factors were performed twice a year. Six to eight different locations were randomly selected to represent the main regions of the city, where drivers’ behaviors were observed during all days of the week using an internationally validated protocol. Findings The prevalence of speeding at baseline (10%) decreased substantially to 5% in 2016 following citywide speed limit reduction interventions, but increased again (9%) by the end of 2017 after interventions were reverted. Drivers testing above the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit (0.01%) presented a decreasing trend (from 4.1% to 1.2%); however, more than half of drivers currently refuse breathalyzer tests. Driver’s seatbelt use rate has kept constant at approximately 90%, as well as rear’s passengers usage rate, but at a much smaller proportion (22%). Helmet use among drivers and passengers presented a highly consistent percentage, with nearly all motorcycle drivers wearing helmets correctly. Conclusion and policy implications Speeding and drink driving are the most prevalent risk factors observed among drivers, but interventions addressing these behaviors have demonstrated a positive association with their reduction. Future strategies addressing rear seatbelt use and correct helmet wearing should also be promoted.