[Present status of traffic accidents in the age of speed: an overview].

This article takes an interdisciplinary perspective to studies on traffic accidents on a national and international scale. It begins by analyzing the great increase in the manufacturing and use of motor vehicles worldwide and the resulting social transformations. Particular attention is given to the degradation of the urban environment and the enormous social costs represented by traffic accidents. The author follows with an epidemiological perspective on the victims of traffic accidents. The relationship between personality and traffic accidents deserved special attention, mainly in that it relates to the consumption of alcohol and other drugs, in addition to other law breaking behavior. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for government to implement specifically consistent public policies to control the problem.