A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of medical conditions as contributors to road crashes in South Australia

IF 1.6 3区工程技术 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Traffic Injury Prevention Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI:10.1080/15389588.2024.2389205

Matthew R. J. Baldock , Simon J. Raftery

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

With the population of Australians aged 85 or older expected to double by 2042 and the association of increased age with the greater likelihood of having medical conditions, the potential for an increase in the number crashes caused by medical conditions is of concern. This study aims to understand the prevalence of medical conditions contributing to road crashes and the characteristics of these crashes, in order to guide development of strategies to mitigate the risks and harms involved.

Method

The sample consisted of 1,934 active road users (drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians) injured in crashes on South Australian roads who were admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital over the period 2014 to 2017.

Results

The findings indicate that 9.2% of hospital admission cases were directly caused by a medical condition or acute medical event, with loss of consciousness, attempted suicide, and seizures the most commonly observed. Crashes attributed to a medical condition were more likely to involve older drivers and those with a greater number of preexisting medical conditions.

Conclusion

Medical conditions or acute medical events are a significant contributor to road crashes. Common crash types involving medical conditions or events – single vehicle, hit object – indicate that vehicle technologies such as lane keeping assist and autonomous emergency braking, and infrastructure treatments such as roadside barriers, may help to prevent crashes in which a driver experiences a medical event. Monitoring of drivers with medical conditions should continue, while the benefits of social policies that reduce reliance on private motor vehicles for transport should also be explored.

查看原文本刊更多论文

南澳大利亚州道路交通事故致病因素流行情况横断面研究。

目标：预计到 2042 年，澳大利亚 85 岁或 85 岁以上的人口将翻一番，而年龄的增长与更有可能患有疾病有关，因此，由疾病引起的交通事故数量可能会增加，这一点令人担忧。本研究旨在了解导致道路交通事故的身体状况的普遍性以及这些交通事故的特点，从而为制定降低相关风险和危害的策略提供指导：样本包括 2014 年至 2017 年期间在阿德莱德皇家医院住院治疗的 1,934 名在南澳大利亚道路上因交通事故受伤的活跃道路使用者（驾驶员、摩托车手、骑自行车者、行人）：研究结果表明，9.2%的入院病例是由医疗状况或急性医疗事件直接导致的，其中最常见的是意识丧失、自杀未遂和癫痫发作。因医疗状况而导致的交通事故更可能涉及年龄较大的驾驶者和患有较多既往病症的驾驶者：结论：医疗状况或急性医疗事件是造成交通事故的重要原因。涉及医疗状况或医疗事件的常见碰撞类型--单车碰撞、物体碰撞--表明，车道保持辅助系统和自主紧急制动等车辆技术以及路边障碍物等基础设施处理方法可能有助于预防驾驶员发生医疗事件的碰撞事故。应继续对患有疾病的驾驶员进行监测，同时还应探索减少对私人机动车交通依赖的社会政策的益处。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Traffic Injury Prevention PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

10.00%

发文量

137

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The purpose of Traffic Injury Prevention is to bridge the disciplines of medicine, engineering, public health and traffic safety in order to foster the science of traffic injury prevention. The archival journal focuses on research, interventions and evaluations within the areas of traffic safety, crash causation, injury prevention and treatment. General topics within the journal''s scope are driver behavior, road infrastructure, emerging crash avoidance technologies, crash and injury epidemiology, alcohol and drugs, impact injury biomechanics, vehicle crashworthiness, occupant restraints, pedestrian safety, evaluation of interventions, economic consequences and emergency and clinical care with specific application to traffic injury prevention. The journal includes full length papers, review articles, case studies, brief technical notes and commentaries.