Accident; analysis and prevention
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The objective of this study is to determine whether independent associations exist between a history of neck injury related to a motor vehicle collision and: (1) graded neck pain in the past 6 months; (2) headaches in the past 6 months and; (3) depressive symptomatology during the past week. We used data from the Saskatchewan Health and Back Pain Survey, a population-based cross-sectional survey mailed to a stratified random sample of 2184 Saskatchewan adults aged 20-69 years. Fifty-five percent of the eligible population participated. ⋯ No association was found between neck injury and depressive symptomatology (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.50-1.40). Our cross-sectional analysis suggests that neck pain and severe headaches are more prevalent in individuals with a history of neck injury from a car collision. However, the results should not be used to infer a causal relationship between whiplash and chronic neck pain and headaches.
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This study aimed to develop an estimate of the incidence of all medically-treated injury by level of severity and to broadly describe the epidemiology of injury in the Australian State of Victoria in a given year. Victoria has developed a relatively comprehensive injury surveillance system. Data is currently collected by various agencies on injury deaths, hospitalisations and emergency department attendances. ⋯ The results indicate that injuries have a significant impact on the Victorian community, health care system and economy in general. Reliable incidence data are necessary for descriptive epidemiology and provide the basis for quality of life and economic cost studies. Together this information has potential application for evidence-based strategic planning and evaluation in injury research and prevention.
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The multidisciplinary research of injury mechanisms and injury prevention requires the assessment of the technical and biomechanical circumstances of a collision; moreover, the causality assessment in the individual cases is facilitated by taking these aspects into account. In fact, only specially trained engineers and biomechanical experts are in a position to evaluate these relevant basic facts. In many crucial court cases, important technical factors such as collision angle, structural stiffness, extent of intrusion and the vehicle's velocity change are often ignored. ⋯ Unfortunately, statements about the 'accident speed' or the nebulous 'accident energy' are often made by clinicians with neither a proper collision documentation nor the necessary biomechanical and technical background. In order to overcome shortcomings of injury causality assessment as well as the terminology associated with soft tissue cervical spine injuries, a subdivision of the term 'accident severity' into four classes is proposed. Consequently, an 'accident severity assessment' can only be performed by a collaboration of four corresponding classes of experts, i.e. the engineer (dynamic loading of the vehicle), the biomechanical expert (biomechanical loading of the occupant), the physician (clinically diagnosable injuries), and eventually the psychiatrist (subjective sequelae individually experienced by the victim).
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A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to examine factors affecting the severity of motor vehicle traffic crashes (MVTCs) involving elderly drivers in Ontario. The study population included drivers aged 65 and over involved in injury-producing MVTCs between 1988 and 1993 on Ontario public roads. Information was obtained from the Canadian Traffic Accident Information Databank (TRAID) compiled from police reports. ⋯ Similar but weaker associations between these factors and risk of major- and minor-injury in crashes were also observed. To reduce the severity of crashes involving elderly drivers, strategies could target specific factors such as head-on collisions, single-vehicle collisions, and traffic controls at intersections. Driver conditions such as medical/physical conditions and driver actions such as failing to yield right-of-way/disobeying traffic signs should be examined further.
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Comparative Study
Globalization in road safety: explaining the downward trend in road accident rates in a single country (Israel).
A theoretical model is proposed in which road safety in a single country depends upon parochial considerations, such as police enforcement, and upon global considerations, such as international road safety technology. We show that there is a non-spurious relationship between the downward trend in the rate of road accidents in Israel and the road accident rate abroad. ⋯ Recent developments in the econometric analysis of time series are used to estimate the model using data for Israel. We make no direct attempt to explain the downward trend in the rate of road accidents outside Israel.