title: Antilock brakes and the risk of driver injury in a crash: a case-control study.
abstract: While antilock brakes can improve steering and reduce stopping distance in some test situations, there is little evidence that they reduce the risk of crash-related injury. We sought to estimate the association between presence of antilock brakes and the risk of driver injury. We conducted a case-control study using claims data from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, Canada, for passenger vehicles insured during July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004. Cases were 5000 vehicles with a driver crash injury during the study period. Controls were 49,994 vehicles insured at the mid-point of the study interval. The adjusted risk ratio for a crash with driver injury in a vehicle with antilock brakes was 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-1.17), compared with a vehicle without antilock brakes. If this estimated association is causal, antilock brakes do not prevent crash-related driver injuries.
authors.affiliation: Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and the Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. peterc@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Grossman
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001336:Automobiles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001955:British Columbia; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011482:Protective Devices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control