Ryb Gabriel E, Dischinger Patricia C, Kufera Joseph A, Soderstrom Carl A
National Study Center for Trauma and Emergency Medical Systems, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 701 West Pratt Street, Fifth Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Accid Anal Prev. 2007 Mar;39(2):313-8. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.004. Epub 2006 Oct 24.
Pedestrian injuries represent 11% of all motor vehicle related injuries in the USA. This study attempts to define the epidemiology of the pedestrian victim. Patients admitted to a regional adult trauma center were interviewed and evaluated for substance abuse. Pedestrians were compared with the remaining unintentional trauma patients with regard to demographics, socioeconomics, possession of a driver's license, injury prone behaviors, risk taking dispositions, and BAC levels using the Student's t-test and Pearson's chi2 statistic (alpha=0.05). Multivariate logistic regression models were built with pedestrian mechanism as the outcome. When compared to the remaining unintentional trauma population (N=661), pedestrians (N=113) were significantly more likely to be black, not married, unemployed, binge drinkers, alcohol dependent, drug dependent, BAC+, to have a low income, low educational achievement, younger age, and to not have a driver license. Black race, unemployment of 1 year or more, never licensed, lapsed license, revoked license and BAC>200 mg/dl showed statistical significance in the multiple logistic regression. Pedestrians represent a sub-population with a low socioeconomic status and high incidence of substance abuse. Unemployment, not having a driver's license, black race, and a BAC>200 mg/dl were strongly linked to being an injured pedestrian.
