The existence of differences in the impact of injuries among socioeconomic groups has been well documented, similarly to what is known for most health outcomes. For the case of paediatric injuries, as well as for domestic injuries, variables such as poverty, low socioeconomic position, less privileged social class, ethnic group, urban deprivation, low educational level, and unfavourable family context have shown to be associated with a higher risk of injury morbidity and mortality.

This relation has been less explored for the case of road traffic injuries (RTIs), especially as regards young people. This is most important when keeping in mind the highly negative prospects regarding the expected health impact of RTIs in the world, predicted to be the second leading cause of years of life lost and the third leading cause of disability adjusted life years in 2020.1 Moreover, little evidence is available when looking at the impact of socioeconomic inequalities among the different modes of transportation. This is especially relevant, because the last quarter of the 20th century has seen a large increase in the diversity of transportation modes, especially two wheel motor vehicles, such as mopeds and motorcycles.

A paper by Hasselberg et al 2 in this issue provides new evidence on the existence of substantial differences in RTIs during childhood and youth between socioeconomic groups in the Swedish population. Such differences are present as much among pedestrians as among cyclists, moped riders, motorcyclists and car drivers, and except for cyclists, the differences remain after …