Deaths and Injuries in Single-Unit Truck Crashes: Quantifying Risk and Identifying Where Countermeasures Are Needed

Abstract

s / Annals of Epidemiology 24 (2014) 682e702 692 improved with higher educational attainment of mothers (P<0.005) and increased socioeconomic status. Nonfatal drowning was more common when the main caregiver was not the mother (P<0.001). Forward likelihood ratio logistic regression indicated mothers’ lower educational status as the best predictor of nonfatal drowning. Conclusion: Better child care and prevention of nonfatal drowning might be ensured through increasing mothers’ educational attainment and improvements in socioeconomic status. P41. Deaths and Injuries in Single-Unit Truck Crashes: Quantifying Risk and Identifying Where Countermeasures Are Needed Elisa R. Braver PhD, Ivan Cheung PhD, Nathan A. Doble MS. National Transportation Safety Board Purpose: Single-unit trucks pose a hazard to automobile occupants in crashes due to marked differences in weight and bumper height and also injure pedestrians/bicyclists. However, these 8.2 million trucks are exempt from some safety rules for tractor-trailers, despite having similar weight and height characteristics. This study quantified deaths and injuries in singleunit truck crashes and identified specific safety risks requiring countermeasures. Methods: National US crash databases were used in addition to state databases linking police accident reports and hospital data. Risks were compared between single-unit trucks and tractor-trailers during 2005i€2009. Vehicle identification numbers (VINs) were decoded to classify vehicles. Results: Single-unit trucks aremisclassified and undercounted in federal and state databases, including about 19 percent of fatal crashes. On average,1,662 single-unit trucks were in fatal crashes and 1,817 people died in these crashes nationwide each year during 2005i€2009 comparedwith 3,175 tractor-trailer crash deaths. National estimates, based on state data, were as follows for single-unit truck crashes vs. tractor-trailer crashes each year: 2,459 people receiving serious or worse injuries vs. 2,833; 5,720 hospitalizations vs. 5,987; and 56,359 emergency department visits vs. 36,887. Safety problems included blind spots, nighttime visibility, and rear and side underride. Conclusions: Adverse effects of single-unit truck crashes are underestimated by using police vehicle type codes; this undercounting can be addressed by using VINs to classify vehicles. Although tractor-trailer crashes result in more deaths and serious injuries, the numbers of deaths, injuries, and hospital visits from single-unit truck crashes warrant improved safety regulations for these trucks. P42. Fall-Related Injuries: A Leading Cause of Injury Among Army Soldiers Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan Geeta Kersellius MPH, MBS, Bonnie Taylor PhD, Keith Hauret MSPH, MPT, Bruce Jones MD, MPH. U.S. Army Institute of Public Health Introduction: Falls are the leading cause of occupational morbidity and mortality in the United States. During the Persian Gulf War, falls (19%) were the second leading cause for non-battle injury (NBI) hospital admissions of soldiers. Falls (18%) were also the second leading cause for air evacuation from Iraq and Afghanistan (2001-2006). Purpose: The objective of this investigationwas to utilize air evacuation data to describe the incidence of serious fall-related NBIs of Army soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Methods: Army soldiers whoweremedically evacuated for NBIs from Iraq or Afghanistan (October 2001-December 2012) were identified from air evacuation records. Patient history and diagnoses were used to determine the cause of injury, fall type and injury type. Descriptive statistics were used to report incidence of fall-related injuries (including near-falls), fall types, and injury types. Results: Overall 21,972 soldiers were air evacuated for an NBI. Of injuries with an identifiable cause (n1⁄415,428), falls were the leading injury cause comprising 28% of NBIs (n1⁄44,331; rate: 3/1,000 person-years). Fall types included falls/jumps (60%), near-falls (21%), falls in sports/physical training (10%), boarding/alighting vehicles (7%), and air transport vehicles (1%). Leading fall injury types were fractures (37%), dislocations (18%), and sprains/ strains/ruptures (14%). Conclusions: Consistent with previous findings, falls remain a leading cause of air evacuation from Iraq and Afghanistan for a severe NBI. Fall-related injuries have a direct negative impact on personal and unit readiness. Injury prevention programs focused on fall types are needed to decrease the burden of NBIs in the military.