title: Alcohol-related vehicular death rates for college students in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine rate of college student alcohol-related vehicular traffic fatalities in Virginia during 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  17- to 24-year-old cohort [corrected] at colleges and universities in Virginia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Institutions with membership in the American College Health Association were invited to participate in a survey. Data collected from institutional reports of student deaths due to vehicular accidents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four institutions were invited to participate. Sixteen responded (response rate = 67%), comprising total enrollment of 117,100 for 17- to 24-year-olds (56% of total college population in state). Five traffic deaths were reported, representing 4.3 deaths per 100,000 students. Based on statewide statistics that estimate alcohol contributes to 38.9% of traffic deaths, rate of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths is 1.7 deaths per 100,000 college students in Virginia, which is 89% lower than leading national estimates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that past estimates of alcohol-related vehicular deaths among college students are overstated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Student Health, University of Viginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. : jct4w@virginia.edu
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauerle
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult