Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Development and validation of a crash culpability scoring tool.
Several traffic safety research techniques require researchers to separate crash-involved drivers into culpable and nonculpable. Nonculpable drivers are assumed to be randomly involved in crashes by external factors and to approximate a noncollision control population. If this is true, factors that increase crash risk should be found more often in culpable than in nonculpable drivers. Though a culpability scoring tool has been developed for research purposes, that tool does not adequately address winter driving conditions (Robertson and Drummer 1994). Moreover, traditional culpability scoring requires assessors to read and score individual collision reports. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate an automated, rule-based Canadian culpability scoring tool that is capable of rapidly scoring police crash reports from large administrative datasets. ⋯ We have developed an automated culpability scoring tool contextualized to Canadian driving conditions. This tool will allow road safety researchers to assess collision responsibility in large administrative data sets derived from police reports.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Road traffic injuries in Kenya: the health burden and risk factors in two districts.
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) contribute to a significant proportion of the burden of disease in Kenya. They also have a significant impact on the social and economic well-being of individuals, their families, and society. However, though estimates quantifying the burden of RTIs in Kenya do exist, most of these studies date back to the early 2000s-more than one decade ago. ⋯ This study highlights the significant burden of RTIs in Kenya. A renewed focus on addressing this burden is necessary. Focusing on increasing helmet and reflective clothing use and enforcement of speed limits has the potential to prevent a large number of road traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities. However, it is difficult to demonstrate the magnitude of the injury problem to policymakers with minimal or inaccurate data, and this study illustrates the need for national continuous, systematic, and sustainable data collection efforts, echoing similar calls for action throughout the injury literature.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Costs associated with helmet use in motorcycle crashes: the cost of not wearing a helmet.
The relationship between injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash (MCC) by unhelmeted motorcyclists and the multitude of costs associated with those injuries has been a decades-long debate. Results from research addressing injuries and mortality due to helmet use in MCCs demonstrates that unhelmeted motorcyclists experience more severe injuries, resulting in higher health care costs and an increased likelihood of requiring care beyond the hospital in other facilities. However, a link between injury severity and hospital costs has not been established with its spillover effect onto health insurance providers. This retrospective study was designed to delineate the health care and insurance costs of adult trauma patients admitted to a Level 1 trauma center due to an MCC. ⋯ The goal of the study was to delineate the medical costs associated with helmet use and nonuse in motorcyclists. The results demonstrate that medical costs due to an MCC for an unhelmeted motorcyclist were significantly higher than for a helmeted motorcyclist. These costs were paid by providers of health insurance, mainly Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), Medicaid, and commercial insurance.
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Around the world, a substantial proportion of motor vehicle crash deaths are recognized as "hidden" suicides. This project sought to progress understandings of drivers who used a motor vehicle to die by suicide in Queensland, Australia, during the period 1990 to 2007. ⋯ These exploratory results indicate the need to educate crash investigators about the characteristics of those who use a motor vehicle to die. Improving the information available on the mental and physical health and background life-related factors of crash victims can help coroners and researchers determine whether these deaths were intentional. Further investigation is needed in order to formulate intervention strategies for those who may be vulnerable to driver suicide.
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China has been concerned about the serious problem of drinking and driving road crashes, and it has made good progress by establishing strict laws, imposing serious penalties, and initiating a rigorous enforcement program since 2008. This study has assessed the magnitude and nature of the problem and reviewed the legislation, current practices, and institutional capacities for preventing drinking and driving. ⋯ China has made progress in strengthening its approach to preventing drinking and driving, particularly in the area of law enforcement. However, it is not possible to evaluate the potential benefits because of data issues. Recommendations for the future include the need to improve the national road crash and injury database, strengthen the coordination of key agencies, and provide more effective and sustained public information campaigns that target vulnerable drivers and are integrated with enforcement strategies. Evaluation and research are important to improve future prevention programs.