Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41774748›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

The 30-year evolution of motor vehicle road injuries: Can the future come from the shadows?

Songxiahe Zhao, Zhongjiang Lan, Jinrui Lin, Shihu Kan, Yanliang Jiao, Lei Chen, Yibin Du

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Songxiahe ZhaoDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zhongjiang LanDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.
Jinrui LinGraduate School of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Shihu KanDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.
Yanliang JiaoDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.
Lei ChenDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.
Yibin DuDepartment of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, Anhui, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3186-8995

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study examines temporal changes from 1990 to 2021 in the burden of vertebral fractures (VFs) attributable to motor vehicle road injuries (MVRIs), with a particular focus on age- and sex-specific patterns in China and India. These national trends are compared with global patterns to better understand population distribution characteristics and injury mechanisms underlying this public health challenge.

methodsData were obtained from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Crude rates and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for MVRI-related VFs were estimated. Joinpoint regression was applied to assess temporal trends, while age-period-cohort (APC) modeling was used to disentangle the independent effects of age, calendar period, and birth cohort.

resultsFrom 1990 to 2021, the global age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of MVRI-related VFs declined by 48.8%, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of -1.839% (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.869 to -1.808). In contrast, China showed no significant reduction in ASIR (AAPC = -0.478%, 95% CI, -0.531 to -0.426), whereas India demonstrated minimal variation over the study period (AAPC = -0.013%, 95% CI, -0.054 to 0.028). Regional analyses revealed heterogeneous drivers of disease burden. In China, period effects during 2000-2021 were strongly associated with elevated risk among males aged 20-40 years, likely reflecting hazardous driving behaviors, while cohort effects were most prominent among individuals born between 1980 and 1990. Conversely, individuals older than 60 years experienced an increasing burden, potentially related to osteoporosis and rapid motorization. Across all regions, males consistently exhibited higher ASIRs, age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPRs), and YLD rates than females, with the greatest sex disparities observed among younger males in China.

conclusionThe persistently high burden of MVRI-related VFs in China, which diverges from declining trends observed in countries with a high sociodemographic index (SDI), highlights the need for targeted prevention strategies. Interventions should prioritize behavioral risk reduction in younger male populations and address age-related biomechanical vulnerability in older adults. In India, strengthening road safety enforcement and trauma care infrastructure remains essential. These findings underscore the heterogeneous demands for road injury prevention in China and India and provide evidence to support more effective allocation of public health resources.

Indexed as

Accidents, TrafficSpinal FracturesAdolescentAdultAgedChinaFemaleGlobal Burden of DiseaseHumansIncidenceIndiaMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID41774748
PMCPMC12956069

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.