Sociodemographic, territorial and temporal characterization of mortality from traffic accidents in the Department of Bolivar 2025

Abstract

Road safety poses a critical challenge to public health and sustainable development in the department of Bolívar, where the convergence of freight corridors, tourist routes, and urban densities exacerbates the vulnerability of road users. Given a 7.6% increase in fatal accidents during 2025 compared to the previous period, there is a scientific need to determine the sociodemographic, territorial, and temporal behavior of this phenomenon in the region. To address this problem, a quantitative, cross-sectional, and census-based methodology was developed, employing documentary analysis of official records provided by the National Road Safety Agency and the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.

The findings identify traffic accidents as the second leading cause of external death at the departmental level, with 314 cases (23.6%). This reveals a marked epidemiological profile characterized by a predominance of male victims (86.0%) and a disproportionate concentration within the economically active population, specifically adults aged 29 to 59 (52.9%) and young adults aged 18 to 28 (26.1%) with secondary or primary education. Furthermore, the temporal distribution showed a marked seasonality, with mortality peaks in April, October, and December. In conclusion, the research demonstrates that road fatalities in Bolívar are a heterogeneous and multifactorial phenomenon. The increase during periods of high vacation mobility and the impact on productive sectors provide key empirical evidence for the urgent design of public policies and targeted prevention strategies.