Road traffic accidents are still a major cause of morbidity and mortality. With well-established whole-body CT protocols in trauma, radiologists are an integral part of trauma diagnosis and management teams. Five well-recognized traumatic syndromes (seat belt syndrome, handlebar syndrome, scapulothoracic dissociation, dashboard syndrome, and brake pedal injury) with their frequent associated complications should be diagnosed precociously according to the accident mechanism to avoid diagnostic delays and poor prognosis even if the circumstances seem minor.
Keywords: Brake pedal injury; Dashboard syndrome; Handlebar syndrome; Road traffic accident; Scapulothoracic dissociation; Seat belt syndrome.