Aim of this study was to determine the influence of road traffic on mortality for the area of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) in 1997. Of special interest was the impact of air pollution and road traffic accidents on life expectancy. It is concluded that road traffic has a strong influence on mortality. The most important impact of traffic on premature mortality is due to air pollution. While the risk of traffic accidents can, to a certain degree, be controlled individually, prevention of deaths due to air pollution requires general guidelines for emission of deleterious substances. (A)
Abstract