The Impact of Road Accidents on Brain Injury

Brain injuries occur as a result of sudden and severe collision of head to hard object which can be mild, moderate, or severe. Epilepsy, persistent headaches, brain hemorrhage, infection, stroke, dementia, mental retardation, brain death, psychological and mood disorders as well as hormonal disorders are the consequences of brain injuries which sometimes remain persistent throughout the whole life. The leading causes of traumatic brain injury are car accidents, falls, physical violence, accidents during work, accidents inside the home, and sport accidents. The most important cause of head trauma in Iran is traffic accidents. Each year more than 700 thousand people injured in road accidents that most of them are suffering from head trauma. Each year several thousand people kill in road accident that imposes a large economic burden on the national healthcare system In Iran. The number of road accidents in Iran is about 20 times more than the global average norm. Each nineteen minutes, one person dies in a traffic accident. Given the high rate of mortalities due to the brain injuries, Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Khatam Alanbia Hospital affiliated with the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs has begun to have some preventive measures on the brain and spinal cord injuries. These activities include holding international congresses, publishing books and brochures as well as holding scientific workshops. The main purpose of holding international road safety congress is to present a plan to prevent the brain injuries which was fulfilled with the cooperation of different national and international organizations during the last five years.
Prevention of traffic accidents and improving public knowledge are the main missions for our program. Shefa Neuroscience Research Center is trying to gather responsible groups and organizations during annual international congresses. It is also aimed to decrease the number of accidents using the experiences of leading successful countries.