Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40022276›Full record

ArticleInjury epidemiology2025

The influence of heatwaves on traffic safety in five cities across Québec with different thermal landscapes.

José Ignacio Nazif-Munoz, Vahid Najafi Moghaddam Gilani, Juwel Rana, Ernani Choma, John D Spengler, José Guillermo Cedeno-Laurent

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Injury epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

José Ignacio Nazif-MunozFaculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada. nazj1501@usherbrooke.ca.
Vahid Najafi Moghaddam GilaniFaculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada.
Juwel RanaDepartment of Epidemiology, And Occupational Health, Mcgill University, Mcgill College, Suite 1200, BiostatisticsMontreal, QC, H3A 1G1C, Canada.
Ernani ChomaDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, 4 Floor West, Boston, MA, 404N02215, USA.
John D SpenglerDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, 4 Floor West, Boston, MA, 404N02215, USA.
José Guillermo Cedeno-LaurentRutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers University, 170 Frelinghuysen Rd 23, Piscataway, 08854, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study assesses the impact of heatwaves on road safety in five Québec cities (Montréal, Québec City, Laval, Longueuil, and Sherbrooke) from June to September 2015-2022. Using Urban Heat Island (UHI), 90th and 95th percentile thresholds for heatwaves, we analyze their effects on collisions, traffic injuries, and killed and seriously injured (KSI) cases.

methodsTraffic data were analyzed across two heatwave definitions, utilizing a time-stratified case-crossover design. UHI was approximated using the annual maximum of mean warm-season land surface temperatures (LST) derived from Landsat 8 (30 m resolution) over three consecutive years, identifying areas that stay hotter during the day and radiate excess heat at night. Heatwaves were defined as periods of at least two consecutive days with mean temperatures exceeding the historical 90th or 95th percentile of mean temperatures. Negative Binomial regression models were used to examine associations between UHI, heatwave events and traffic incidents. Models controlled for time varying variables such as rainfall, seasonality, and COVID-19 impacts.

resultsHeatwaves, particularly at the 95th percentile threshold, significantly increased traffic incidents in Montréal and Longueuil. In Sherbrooke, the 90th percentile threshold showed significant effects on collisions and injuries, while Québec City and Laval exhibit no significant associations. UHIs show a modest overall increase in collisions (IRR: 1.07) but limited effects on traffic injuries and KSI. Differences across cities highlight Montréal's higher IRR for collisions under heatwaves and lower IRR for KSI compared to Québec and Longueuil respectively. DISCUSSION AND

conclusionThe results indicate that cities like Montréal and Longueuil, with slightly stronger UHI and higher susceptibility to heatwaves, face increased road safety risks. However, UHI levels in Montréal were not significantly different from those in other cities, and heatwaves at the 95th percentile showed variability across regions. These findings highlight the need for targeted climate-adaptive strategies, such as green spaces and heat-reflective materials, to mitigate risks. Integrating climate resilience into urban planning remains critical as extreme weather events grow more frequent.

Identifiers

PMID40022276
PMCPMC11869667

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.