A decade ago, compactness/sprawl indices were developed for metropolitan areas and counties which have been widely used in health and other research. In this study, we first update the original county index to 2010, then develop a refined index that accounts for more relevant factors, and finally seek to test the relationship between sprawl and traffic crash rates using structural equation mode...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep-related complaints are common in adolescents, but their impact on the rate of motor vehicle crashes accidents is poorly known. We studied subjective sleep quality, driving habits, and self-reported car crashes in high-school adolescents. METHODS Self-administered questionnaires (with items exploring driving habits) were distributed to 339 students who had a driver's lic...

Trauma during pregnancy is remarkably common, and is greatly underestimated in terms of its contribution to both maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Motor vehicle crashes, falls, assaults, including domestic violence, are all important mechanisms of injury, and clinical algorithms have been developed to manage the injured pregnant women. Focus on recognition and management of the mo...

BACKGROUND Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) continue to account for a third of service member fatalities each year. Sociodemographic factors associated with MVCs among service members have been evaluated, but whether deployment-specific experiences during the recent operations are associated with a higher risk of MVCs is unclear. PURPOSE Evaluate if military members with specific deployment exper...

HYPOTHESIS The use of passenger compartment safety measures has not led to decreases in pediatric morbidity or mortality in our population of patients. DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING University, tertiary care, level I trauma center. PATIENTS All patients admitted to the Trauma Center at Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Medicine in Shreveport between July 1,...

We report data on the distribution and determinants of road deaths and injuries for all victims in Colombia, with the aim of defining targets and priorities for highway death prevention in that country and other rapidly urbanizing nations. Using information from Colombia's Fund for the Prevention of Road Injury and the national death registry, we studied data on deaths and injuries from 1991 to...

In a national youth sample, the propensity to use substances was more strongly related to motor vehicle crashes than use of any specific substance studied (cigarette, alcohol, marijuana). Substance use propensity was associated with sensation seeking, suggesting that increased crash risk for these youth is likely a result of general risk-taking tendencies.

BACKGROUND Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Age- and size-appropriate child restraint use is the most effective method for reducing these deaths. METHODS CDC analyzed 2002–2011 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System to determine the number and rate of motor-vehicle occupant deaths, and the proportion of unrestrained child deaths...

Very little is known about drowning deaths that occur as the result of motor vehicle traffic accidents. The two research questions addressed in this paper are how frequently do drowning deaths as a result of motor vehicle traffic accidents occur and what are the circumstances surrounding these deaths. The choice of the word “accident” instead of “crash” in this paper is intentional to avoid con...