Impact of road traffic injuries on disability rates and long-term care costs in Spain

•Traffic related disabilities cost 2% of total annual long-term care costs in Spain.•Long-term care cost due to traffic related disabilities was 0.04% of the GDP in 2008.•Impact of traffic accidents on long-term care costs is considerably higher under age 65.•Impairments in adults that have suffered a traffic accident mostly affect their mobility.

Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of increasing disability-adjusted life expectancy. We analyze long-term care needs associated with motor vehicle crash-related disability in Spain and conclude that needs attributable traffic injuries are most prevalent during victims’ mid-life years, they create a significant burden for both families and society as a whole given that public welfare programmes supporting these victims need to be maintained over a long time frame. High socio-economic costs of road traffic accidents (in Spain 0.04% of the GDP in 2008) are clearly indicative of the need for governments and policymakers to strengthen road accident preventive measures.