RTIRN at the 9th International Conference on Injury prevention and SAFETY Promotion, Merida, Mexico
RTIRN Special Session
The RTIRN held a special session, entitled ‘Road Traffic Injuries: Confronting Disparities to address a global health problem’, at Safety 2008, on 17 March 2008. The session, attended widely with representation from many different countries, opened with a welcome note and introduction of the speakers by Professor Robyn Norton of the George Institute, Australia . Regional disparities in RTI burden, and the disproportionate allocation of resources for interventions and research were then illustrated through the presentations of RTIRN board member, Professor Wilson Odero of Maseno University , Kenya , Dr Shanthi Ameratunga from the University of Aukland in New Zealand , and Dr Eugênia Maria Silveira Rodrigues from the Pan American Health Organization, USA .
The presentations were followed by a moderated, open panel discussion which served to highlight these issues further, and raise important questions for consideration. Dr Margie Peden from the WHO concluded the session by urging the audience to move from describing the RTI burden to the actual documentation and evaluation of interventions and successes achieved.