Monitoring traffic injuries and mortality using a public health dashboard in Girona (Catalonia)

Background

Road traffic injuries are a major and preventable public health problem, contributing significantly to mortality and disability. Monitoring their spatial distribution is essential to support prevention strategies and improve road safety policies.

Objectives

To present an interactive public health dashboard for monitoring traffic injuries, mortality and spatial patterns of road traffic incidents across the province of Girona.

Methods

An interactive dashboard was developed using traffic injury and mortality data at municipal, county and provincial levels. The tool provides descriptive analyses of accident frequency, mortality rates and spatial distribution of incidents. It also allows the identification of high-incidence locations and their relationship with main road networks. Data are presented through interactive maps enabling territorial exploration of road safety patterns. Access link is provided for the tool: https://observatori.shinyapps.io/APP_TRANSIT/.

Results

The dashboard highlights heterogeneous spatial distribution of traffic injuries and mortality across the territory. Higher concentrations of incidents are observed along major road corridors and in specific municipal areas. The tool enables identification of road segments and territories with increased accident burden, providing a detailed overview of spatial risk patterns.

Conclusions

This traffic injuries dashboard is a useful tool for monitoring road safety and identifying high-risk areas within the province of Girona. By providing spatially detailed and accessible information, it supports evidence-based prevention strategies and contributes to improving public health and transport safety policies.

Key messages

• Traffic injuries are unevenly distributed across Girona, with clear spatial clusters linked to road networks.

• The dashboard supports identification of high-risk areas to inform targeted road safety interventions.