When do traffic accidents occur? Key risk periods and challenges for emergency medical teams of the Institute for emergency Medicine Novi Sad

Introduction: Traffic-related injuries are the primary cause of premature death among children and adolescents aged 5 to 29 years. Moreover, two-thirds of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities occur among the working age population. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine whether there are patterns of injury to patients involved in traffic trauma based on the time of day, day of the week, or month, and whether there is a connection with the gender of the patients. Material and methods: The research was conducted as a retrospective study at the Institute of Emergency Medicine in Novi Sad. The data set included a total of 445 patients from emergency protocols. Results: The highest percentage of traffic accidents occurred between 12:00 and 15:59 (43.76%), while the lowest was observed between 00:00 and 3:59 (4.54%). When analyzed based on the day of the week, the highest number of accidents was observed on Fridays (18.82%) and Mondays (18.40%), while the lowest was recorded on Sundays (10.20%) and Thursdays (10.64%). This distribution of data is statistically significant (ch²=56.778, p < 0.05). The majority of injuries occurred on Fridays between 12:00 and 15:59 (10.88%), while the least occurred on Mondays between 00:00 and 03:59 (0.00%). The highest percentage of traffic accident injuries occurred on Mondays in April (4.94%), while the lowest percentage occurred on Thursdays in June, Saturdays in January, and Sundays in May (0.45%). This variation is statistically significant (ch²=55.751; p<0.05), highlighting potential seasonal or temporal patterns in accident occurrences. Conclusion: The findings reveal a distinct time pattern in injury occurrence among patients with traffic trauma, indicating a relationship between time, gender, and the prevalence of injury.