Objective: To calculate the uptake of the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland (CTCS) in Lothian and the road traffic casualty rate of children aged 0-14 living in areas with different deprivation categories.
Design: Analysis of road traffic accident hospital admissions, 'STATS 19' (road traffic accident police reports) and CTCS uptake data in affluent, 'intermediate' and disadvantaged households.
Setting: The Lothian Health Board area.
Results: Affluent households have both the highest CTCS uptake rates and the lowest rates of road traffic accidents. The most disadvantaged populations have hospital discharge rates over three times that of people living in more affluent parts of Lothian.
Conclusions: Minor changes in how the CTCS is run and fostering a multiagency approach to childhood accident prevention could improve both CTCS uptake and effectiveness of road safety measures.