Introduction:

Traffic accidents are a priority problem in public health worldwide, mainly in Latin American countries, as it is one of the leading mortality causes in the region.

Objective:

To study the evolution and trend of traffic accidents in Ecuador in the period from 2000 to 2015.

Method:

An ecological study based on secondary official information sources. The results of the population mortality rates due to traffic accidents are presented, as well as motorization, accident, harmfulness, and fatality rates, in order to compare the temporal variations in the study period.

Results:

The population mortality rate showed an increasing tendency in the study period and correlated with motorization and harmfulness indexes (p <0.01).

Conclusions:

A greater effort is required to optimize the activities aimed at the compliance of the legal traffic laws and towards road safety education for the Ecuadorian population.

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