A Pilot Study of an Integrated Accident Research System Based on a Medical and Engineering Data in the Metropolitan Area of Florence

The Tuscany Trauma Registry (2009‐2010) shows that the preponderance of major trauma due to road accidents occurs in urban areas (33%) and 62% of these involve Powered Two Wheeler (PTW) riders and pillion passengers. So far, the collection of in‐depth real world road accident data has been very limited in Italy and completely absent in the Tuscany region. For this reason a team of physicians and engineers have established a collaborative effort to collect and study all the metropolitan road accidents that result in major trauma. The aim of the project is to create an in‐depth accident database with a special focus on the correlation between the accident dynamics and the injuries. This paper describes the method adopted and a case study representing a typical example of the approach and outcomes. The analysis of 16 cases out the 60 collected during the first year shows some preliminary results. The next step of the project is to consolidate the data gathering by creating a stable structure able to collect data continuously for at least the next 10 years.