Objetivo: to describe hospitalization rates and to estimate hospital costs and time spent in hospital due to road traffic accidents (RTA) in Brazil, in 2013.
Methods: this is an ecological study conducted using data from the Brazilian National Hospital Information System.
Results: in 2013, 170,805 hospitalizations due to RTA were funded by the Brazilian National Health System; 78.2% of the individuals were male, 48.6% were from 20 to 39 years old, and 51.9% were motorcyclists; RTA hospitalization rate was of 85.0 hospitalizations/100,000 inhabitants; total cost was BRL 231,469,333.13, with 1,072,557 hospital inpatient days and average stay of 6.3 days in hospital.
Conclusion: the magnitude of hospitalization due to RTA was high; victims hospitalized were mainly men, young adults and motorcyclists; average stay in hospital was almost a week, implying significant costs.