Brodie Lisa Ruth, Odell Morris, Ranson David, Young Carmel, Kitching Fiona, Ibrahim Joseph E
Road Policing Command, Victoria Police, Level 7 Tower 2, 637 Flinders Street, Docklands, VIC, 3008, Australia.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 65 Kavanagh Street, Melbourne, 3006, Australia; Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, 65 Kavanagh Street, Melbourne, 3006, Australia.
J Forensic Leg Med. 2019 Apr;63:31-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2019.02.011. Epub 2019 Feb 20.
This study reviews the circumstances and medical causes of death of motor vehicle drivers who died in circumstances of sudden illness whilst behind the wheel in Victoria, Australia 2012-13. The driver's fitness to drive assessment history was also examined to identify prevention opportunities. Deaths included in the study were those referred to a panel responsible for determining whether the driver fatality should be included in the official road toll, where prior doubt exists. A research team comprising of forensic physicians examined the case file of each death involving sudden illness. Forty-five driver deaths during the two-year period were reviewed. Ischaemic heart disease was the most common cause of death. Over 80% of drivers were male with a median age of 64 years. While limited medical history was available, significantly impacting study analysis, findings identified minimal opportunity to improve the fitness to drive review process.
本研究回顾了2012 - 2013年在澳大利亚维多利亚州驾车时突发疾病死亡的机动车驾驶员的死亡情况及医学原因。同时还检查了驾驶员的驾驶适宜性评估历史，以确定预防机会。本研究纳入的死亡案例是那些提交给一个小组负责确定在存在先前疑问的情况下，该驾驶员死亡是否应计入官方道路死亡人数的案例。一个由法医组成的研究团队检查了每例突发疾病死亡的病例档案。对两年期间的45例驾驶员死亡案例进行了回顾。缺血性心脏病是最常见的死因。超过80%的驾驶员为男性，中位年龄为64岁。虽然可获取的病史有限，这对研究分析有显著影响，但研究结果表明改善驾驶适宜性审查流程的机会微乎其微。
