Faculty Collaboration Database

Revisiting exposure: fatal and non-fatal traffic injury risk across different populations of travelers in Wisconsin, 2001-2009. Accid Anal Prev 2013 Nov;60:103-12

Date

09/17/2013

Pubmed ID

24036316

DOI

10.1016/j.aap.2013.08.005

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84884268212 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   32 Citations

Abstract

Comparing the injury risk of different travel modes requires using a travel-based measure of exposure. In this study we quantify injury risk by travel mode, age, race/ethnicity, sex, and injury severity using three different travel-based exposure measures (person-trips, person-minutes of travel, and person-miles of travel) to learn how these metrics affect the characterization of risk across populations. We used a linked database of hospital and police records to identify non-fatal injuries (2001-2009), the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for fatalities (2001-2009), and the 2001 Wisconsin Add-On to the National Household Travel Survey for exposure measures. In Wisconsin, bicyclists and pedestrians have a moderately higher injury risk compared to motor vehicle occupants (adjusting for demographic factors), but the risk is much higher when exposure is measured in distance. Although the analysis did not control for socio-economic status (a likely confounder) it showed that American Indian and Black travelers in Wisconsin face higher transportation injury risk than White travelers (adjusting for sex and travel mode), across all three measures of exposure. Working with multiple metrics to form comprehensive injury risk profiles such as this one can inform decision making about how to prioritize investments in transportation injury prevention.

Author List

McAndrews C, Beyer K, Guse CE, Layde P

Author

Kirsten M. Beyer PhD, MPH Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Accidents, Traffic
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bicycling
Child
Child, Preschool
Databases, Factual
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Injury Severity Score
Male
Middle Aged
Models, Statistical
Motor Vehicles
Motorcycles
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
Safety
Sex Factors
Time Factors
Travel
Walking
Wisconsin
Wounds and Injuries
Young Adult