The polytrauma patient is an injured person with several injuries, at least one of which is life threatening. His or her care must not be delayed in any way, and above all no improvisation is tolerated. The introduction of a "trauma system" has allowed in some countries to reduce mortality by 20 to 30%. This public health problem should not only concern the medical profession, all political and civil society actors should be involved. Informing citizens through the mass media about the consequences of these injuries on their lives and the after-effects they cause is essential to reduce the number of these accidents.