Pedestrians Struck by Motor Vehicles Contribute to Disparities in Trauma Outcomes: The Case for Inner City Pedestrian Injury Prevention Programs

Abstract

Background: Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles are known to have the highest mortality rates of any blunt trauma mechanism. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data demonstrate that Black and Hispanic patients suffer nearly twice the rate of death from this mechanism of trauma than do Whites. Whether this is due solely to a higher incidence of pedestrian injuries, or is also due to race-based differences in survival after pedestrian injury, is unknown. Similarly, the contribution of insurance status to the risk of mortality from pedestrian trauma is also unknown.