title: Motor vehicle accident or driver suicide? Identifying cases of failed driver suicide in the trauma setting.
abstract: Many authors have suggested that some road traffic crashes are disguised suicide attempts. A case report and literature review is used to explore this claim and to examine the frequency and risk factors associated with driver suicide. The author concludes the methodological difficulty of establishing the driver's intent of suicide accounts for an under-estimation of the frequency of this event and that many cases of driver suicide go unrecognised. Familiarity with the risk factors associated with driver suicide may assist in the identification of cases of failed driver suicide and referral to psychiatric services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Reserve Rd, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Sydney, Australia. drafhenderson@yahoo.com.au
authors.forename: Antony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Joseph
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*