Objective   To quantify the different contribution of road traffic accident versus leading death causes to premature mortality in the urban populatio n in China.

  Methods   Age-specific death numbers of road traffic accident and other leading death causes in seven central cities in Liaoning Province from health surviellance report of urban population provided by Liaoming Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Years of potential life lost(YPLL), Work years of potential life lost(WYPLL)and Valued years of potential life lost(VYPLL)were used for assessing.

  Results   During 2000, death realted with road traffic accident were responsible for 2.3% of all deaths in male urban population, but that contributed 9.2% of total YPLL and 7.8% of total WYPLL.While in female urban population, death related with road traffic accident were responsible for 1.1% of all deaths, and that contributed 3.8% of total YPLL and 4.6% of total WYPLL.The proportion in all YPLL and WYPLL contributed by cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease were much low er than that in all deaths for both sex.The proportion in all YPLL and WYPLL contributed by tumor was closed to the proportion in all deaths in the male, and the proportion was higher than the proportion in all eaths in the female.YPLL/d(YPLL per death)and WYPLL/(WYPLL per death)of road traffic accident were higher than those of tumor, cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease)for both sex.VYPLL/d(VYPLL per death)of tumor, cerebrovascular disease was negative, and VYPLL of tumor was positive.

  Conclusion   Deaths related with road traffic accident significantly contributed to the influence on premature mortality, and the influence was greater than tumor, cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease.The socioeconomic loss produced by road traffic accident might be less measured, if only based on the proportion of deaths.