OBJECTIVE: To outline a profile of pediatric trauma victims and verify the likelihood of trauma in children on a high traffic roadway. METHODS: A descriptive cohort study of the records of emergency medical service activations on the Rio-Niterói Bridge, a high traffic roadway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Descriptive statistics were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. The estimated risk of trauma in children aged < 12 years was calculated by means of odds ratios, with a 95% confidence interval. [...]