Deaths due to accident and violent causes were studied in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil from 1976 to 1980. Spatial and time distributions of the main causes of death were analysed. Motor vehicle traffic accidents had shown to be the first cause of death, mainly among school age children (5-14 years old). An increase of 70% in homicide rates was observed and homicides are actually the first cause of death among young adults (20-29 years old). A substantial proportion of misclassifications was found, as indicated by the great number of deaths classified as ''other violences".
