Road traffic crashes on the Yaoundé-Douala road section, Cameroon.

Objective: Developing countries account for more than 85% of all road traffic deaths in the world. Our aims were to estimate road morbidity and mortality and to describe the main characteristics of road traffic crashes on a heavy traffic road section in Cameroon.

Methods: We conducted a study of police reports of the 2004-2007 period retrieved from the 13 police stations in charge of the 243 km Yaoundé-Douala road section in Cameroon.

Results: The estimated overall number of people killed per 100 million kilometres driven was 73, more than 35 times higher than on similar roads in the US or Europe. The most severe crashes were those involving vulnerable road users (97 deaths) and vehicles travelling in opposite directions (136 deaths). The main causes of fatal crashes were mechanical failures (28%), two-thirds being tyre problems, hazardous overtaking (23%), and excessive speed (20%).

Conclusions: The burden of road traffic injuries on heavy traffic roads in Cameroon calls for urgent interventions. Traffic calming measures and control of vehicle condition appear to be the most cost-effective interventions.