Health Impacts of Transport a review March 2005 Paul Kavanagh, Cathal Doyle & Owen Metcalfe

Health Impacts of Transport – key facts and figures (2002) Northern Ireland: 150 people were killed,1,526 were seriously injured A total of 11,914 casualties were recorded from 6,784 injury collisions. Republic of Ireland: 376 people were killed, 9,206 people were injured 17,915 accidents reported. Overall: NI 3.0 deaths per 100,000 ROI 8.8 deaths per 100,000

Health impacts of Transport Traffic accidents, injuries and deaths Poor air quality and increased greenhouse gas emissions Rising noise levels and annoyance Decrease in physical activity Community severance with potentially less opportunities for social interaction and community cohesion impacting on mental health and wellbeing.

Vulnerable Groups Not all members of society have fair and equal access to public transport. Vulnerable groups include: women, children, the elderly, disabled, Travellers, prisoners and ex- prisoners, migrants and ethnic minorities and people in urban and disadvantaged areas. This affects people’s ability to: travel to work, attend school, visit GP or hospital, shop for food, enjoy recreational facilities or visit friends.

Conclusion Through careful consideration of these impacts, transport policy-makers are in a powerful position to promote the positive and mitigate the negative effects which their decisions may have on the public’s health.