Citation

Krystek R, Żukowska J, Michalski L. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2010; 15: 1085-1092.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Each day 3,000 people die in road accidents worldwide, a number comparable to the total number of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. Each year the death toll is enormous: nearly 1.3 million road deaths and more than 10 million people injured suffering life-changing physical and emotional injuries. The situation is specially difficult in Poland were the road accidents figures are among the worst in EU. For these reasons it was absolutely necessary to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study in Poland on the life of accident victims and their families. We had to have the data to establish how accidents affect people's lives and the quality of life. What is the victim's view on the work of the courts, how do government institutions and insurance companies deal with the claims and what help is in fact available from the authorities, organizations and institutions established to help accident victims and their families. Department of Highway Engineering, author of the National Road Safety Programme GAMBIT 2005 in Poland, had been preparing to this broad study for a few years and in 2007, thanks to the financial support of the ZEUS Project, we got finally the possibility to carry out the survey. The comprehensive study involved the victims, their families and non-governmental organizations that help accident victims. In this paper we would like to present the assumptions, the methodology, the organization, as well as the results of the research. The results are very valuable for us and we are convinced that this would be equally interesting for experts from other countries as the consequences of road accidents affect every victim and his/her family.