It is estimated that nearly 16,000 people die every day from all types of injuries worldwide (1). Trauma represents 12% of the global burden of disease. They constitute the third cause of overall mortality and the leading cause of death among people aged 1 to 40 (2). Road traffic accidents (RTA) are responsible for the largest number of injuries worldwide. According to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic accidents account for approximately 25% of all accident-related deaths (1). The report highlights road transport accidents as one of the leading causes of injury-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. World Bank and WHO estimates reveal that approximately 1.2 million people die each year and 50 million people are injured as a result of road transport accidents. This represents approximately 25% of all injury-related deaths worldwide. Developing countries account for up to 85% of all road deaths worldwide; 90% of years of life lost (DALYs) worldwide, adjusted for disability; and 96% of global child mortality linked to trafficking. Most of these victims are the poor masses who commute as public transport passengers, cyclists or pedestrians and users of vans, coaches and minibuses (1, 3 and 4). The actual number of road deaths is unknown. This is due to variations and limitations in RTI data collection; analysis, differences in interpretation and under-reporting. Road accident-related deaths account for more than 50% of deaths among young adults aged 15 to 44 years (5); and are the second leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 14 and young people aged 15 to 29 worldwide. It is expected that without major improvement in prevention strategies and policies, ...... middle of paper ...... healers. The majority of non-profit establishments are managed by Catholic and Protestant health services: the former manage 179 establishments (including 8 hospitals) with a staff of 1,315 people and the latter, 122 health establishments (including 24 hospitals) with a staff of 2,633 people (World Bank). op cit); there were about 200 for-profit clinics (Deschamps, 1996; p. 2) and a few thousand traditional healers (Lantum, 1996; personal communication). The plethora of health care providers and institutions involves a wide variety of sources, making it difficult to identify all cases of traffic-related injuries reported or treated. Some victims of RTI injuries may not attend hospital or report to the police because they may prefer to seek alternative treatment and, as Dixey (1999) argues, help-seeking behavior a person's medical condition can be informed by belief in illness and its cause..