Introduction. Road accidents have a number of serious consequences: health-related (physical suffering due to body injury), mental (grieving after a loss of close relatives) and economic (material losses connected with car damage, costs of treatment and rehabilitation, insurance payments).

Objective. The study objective was to characterize road accident victims in Podlaskie Voivodeship in the years 2000 - 2006.

Materials and methods. Source data of the Voivodeship Police Headquarters in Bialystok recorded in the “Road Accident Chart” were subjected to analysis. A total of 9,271 “Charts” from the years 2000-2006 were investigated.

Results. In the years 2000–2006 in Podlaskie Voivodeship, the number of road accidents decreased by 25.7% and the number of casualties was reduced by 22.1%, whereas the number of traffi c deaths remained constant (with a certain increase in the number of the dead at the site of the accident). However, the number of injured casualties decreased considerably. The mean number of casualties per accident was by 5% higher than the Polish average. Men were the predominant group both among the injured casualties (over 60%) and the killed (74.7% – death up to 30 days; 82.1% – death on the spot). The involvement (%) in road accidents increased in the case of drivers, decreased for pedestrians and remained stable among passengers. Young people (20-29 years old) represented the largest group of casualties, and the number of deaths was found to be increased also in the 40-49 years group.

Conclusion. Road traffic safety in Podlaskie Voivodeship compares unfavourably against other voivodeships in the country. Statistically, Poland occupies a leading position in the world in the severity of road accidents and risk of death in such an accident. One of the strategic objectives of the National Health Program 2007-2015 is to reduce the incidence of injuries due to accidents and their sequels. Taking into account the number of traffi c fatalities in the years 2000-2006, accomplishment of this aim may be particularly diffi cult in Podlaskie Voivodeship, where the number of dead casualties shows a growing tendency. Multifunctional actions covering health promotion, prevention, organization and fi nancial contribution of various institutions will be necessary to reduce the number of road fatalities to the level comparable to other voivodeships and especially to other EU countries.

Road accidents remain a serious threat to public health in Poland, especially in Podlaskie Voivodeship.

Słowa kluczowe: bezpieczeństwo ruchu drogowego, driver, karta zdarzenia, kierujący, ranny, road accident, road accident chart, road traffic safety, the injured, the killed, wypadek drogowy, zabity