Distractions and the risk of car crash injury: the effect of drivers' age.
OBJECTIVE
Motor-vehicle accidents are one of the major causes of injury in most motorized countries. Driver distractions have been suggested as a contributor to traffic accidents. Moreover, age of the driver seems to have a role in the relationship between distractions and car crashes. But very few studies have investigated the effect of driver's age on this relationship. This exploratory study investigated the association between distractions, both inside and outside the vehicle, and the increased risk of car crash injury among drivers across different ages.


METHODS
This study used a case series design to analyze data routinely collected by the NSW police in Australia. A special focus of this study was on how drivers' age affects the risk of car crash injury, which was determined by using a well-documented risk estimation methodology.


RESULTS
The results obtained indicated that drivers of all ages, on the whole, are more susceptible to distractions inside the vehicle than distractions coming from outside. Age was shown to affect the relationship between in-vehicle distraction and the risk of car crash injury. A separate analysis was also conducted on hand-held phone usage while driving with results supplementing previous findings reported in the literature.


CONCLUSIONS
Safety strategies to countermeasure in-vehicle distractions have been suggested and discussed.
Lam
Lawrence T
LT
Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia. lawrencl@chw.edu.au
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D040421:Cell Phone; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control