Self-Reported Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Strategies, Risky Driving Behaviours, and Subsequent Motor Vehicle Injuries: Analysis of Canadian National Population Health Survey

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported motor vehicle injury prevention strategies, speeding and impaired driving, and the effects of speeding and impaired driving on subsequent motor vehicle collision injuries, using the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Strategies commonly reported were preventing impaired drivers from driving, using designated drivers, and requiring passengers to use seatbelts. Yet a substantial minority, particularly young males, reported engaging in risky driving behaviours such as speeding and impaired driving. Self-reported speeders and impaired drivers had significantly higher odds of reporting injuries from subsequent motor vehicle collisions. Specifically, those who reported sometimes/rarely or never obeying the speed limits were two and a half times more likely to report a subsequent motor vehicle injury, while those who reported impaired driving one or more times in the past 12 months were two times more likely to report a subsequent motor vehicle injury. These findings support the need for continued focus on speeding, drinking and driving, and other risky driving behaviours to reduce collisions in Canada.