The impact of environmental, vehicle and driver characteristics on injury severity in older drivers hospitalized as a result of a traffic crash.
BACKGROUND
Compared to younger age groups, older people are more likely to be seriously injured or to die as a result of a traffic crash.


METHODS
The aim of the study is to examine the impact of environmental, vehicle, crash, and driver characteristics on injury severity in older drivers involved in traffic crashes by using recently linked police crash records and hospitalization data from New South Wales, Australia. The severity of injury resulting from traffic crashes was measured using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) Injury Severity Score (ICISS).


RESULTS
Multivariate analysis identified rurality, presence of complex intersections, road speed limit, driver error, speeding, and seat belt use as independent predictors of injury severity in older people. The type of intersection configuration explained over half of the observed variations in injury severity.


CONCLUSIONS
Environmental modification such as intersection treatments might contribute to a decrease in the severity of injury in older people involved in road crashes.
Boufous
Soufiane
S
Injury Risk Management Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
Finch
Caroline
C
Hayen
Andrew
A
Williamson
Ann
A
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001336:Automobiles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019992:Databases as Topic; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D012449:Safety; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*