P13 An international comparison of mobile phone subscribership and motor vehicle crash injuries

Abstract

BackgroundMobile phone use while driving has been associated with a substantially higher likelihood of motor vehicle crash risk and is the focus of numerous traffic safety policies and initiatives worldwide in recent years. Although prior studies have examined the relationship of distracted driving and crash risk using national data, few if any studies have explored cross-national differences in mobile phone use on motor vehicle crash rates. We use longitudinal data for 23 countries to examine the association between rates of mobile phone subscribership and injuries and fatalities on public roadways. MethodsRoad safety data are reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). We examine 23 OECD countries for the 11-year period, 2001–2011. Generalized least squares (GLS) regression is used to examine logged nonfatal injuries and fatalities per 100,000 population with the log number of mobile phone subscribers per 100 people, adjusting for number of motor vehicles (cars, buses, other), percent urban population, unemployment rate, GDP per capita, year and country fixed effects. ResultsFrom 2001 to 2011, countries experienced a 23.3% decline in rates of motor vehicle injuries—decreasing from 394.2 to 302.5 per 100,000 population. However, trends in motor vehicle crash injuries varied across countries. For example, Denmark and France experienced a more than 50% decrease in injury rates since 2001, but rates in Australia increased 4.4%, from 151.6 to 158.3 per 100,000 population. Mobile phone subscribership increased substantially in this period, but rates and growth also varied significantly across countries. For example, in Switzerland, an average of 10 persons per 100 have a mobile phone; this compares to 77.2 in Great Britain. Growth rates in subscribership ranged from 22.3% in Iceland to nearly 200% in Estonia and Turkey in the study period. GLS regression analysis suggests a significant and positive association between rates of mobile phone subscribership and motor vehicle crash injuries. A 10% increase in subscribers per 100 people is predicted to result in an increase of 12.0% (p<.001) and 7.5% (p<.001) in crash injuries and fatalities per 100,000 people, respectively. ConclusionsWe present evidence that increasing rates of mobile phone subscribership may be associated with motor vehicle crash injuries. Distracted driving is a problem worldwide and, thus, more cross-national efforts are needed to identify best practices in policy implementation to help address this problem.