Introduction:
In Europe – every 8 minutes a person dies due to a road traffic injury. Recently, in Lithuania, among children aged 0–17 years, deaths from external causes are the number one cause of death, and the road traffic deaths account for the largest percentage of fatal injuries in this age group.

Objectives:
The objectives of the study were to analyze the road traffic injury mortality trends among children aged 0-14 years and teenagers aged 15-19 years over the 1998–2020 in Lithuania.

Methods:
A longitudinal study was conducted, and regression analysis was applied. The coefficient of determination (R2) was used in the study. The significance level p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:
In the period of 1998–2020, 502 children died in road traffic crashes in the group of children aged 0–14 years in Lithuania: 325 boys (65 %) and 177 girls (35 %). Boys deceased nearly two times more than that of girls. Mortality rates of children aged 0–14 years from road traffic injuries per 100,000 children decreased significantly over the 1998–2020 in the whole group and in the subgroups of boys and girls. Over 1998–2020, in the group of teenagers aged 15–19 years, almost one thousand (993) teenagers died in road traffic crashes in Lithuania: 746 boys (75 %) and 247 girls (25 %). Boys deceased three times more than that of girls. In the group of Lithuanian teenagers aged 15–19 years, mortality from road traffic injuries significantly decreased in the whole group, and in the subgroups of boys and girls.

Conclusion:
Regardless of the fact that during this study, the significant decreasing trends of the road traffic injury mortality rates in Lithuania were identified, it should be emphasized that in Lithuania, deaths from road traffic injuries in the groups of children and teenagers take the leading positions in the category of deaths from external causes. Traffic injuries in Lithuania remain a constant threat to the health and life of children. Road traffic injuries are still an important public health issues that requires increased attention and permanent actions of injury prevention and safety promotion.

Keywords: Children, teenagers, road traffic, injury, mortality, trends, road safety.

Other info: Department of Public Health, Health Research and Innovation Science Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University - Klaipeda - - - Lithuania-