Motor-vehicle crash fatalities among American Indians and non-Indians in Arizona, 1979 through 1988.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the contributions of rural residence, alcohol use, and pedestrian fatalities to the high American Indian motor-vehicle crash mortality rate in Arizona. METHODS Records from the Fatal Accident Reporting System were used to examine mortality rates between 1979 and 1988. RESULTS American Indians had increased relative risks in all motor-vehicle crash categories in all residence-gender groups. The percentage of excess mortality associated with alcohol varied from 36.8% to 66.7%, and the percentage associated with pedestrian deaths ranged from 27.2% to 55.4%. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to reduce excess motor-vehicle crash mortality among American Indians should concentrate on preventing pedestrian and alcohol-related fatalities.