This paper seeks to estimate how risk of death from the same physical impact changes as people age. Fatality risks are estimated using data for 252,564 people killed when traveling in cars, light trucks, or motorcycles containing at least two occupants. Combinations of safety-belt use, helmet use, and seating location lead to 16 male and 14 female occupant categories. Relationships between fatality risk and age are similar for the 16 male occupant categories and for the 14 female occupant categories, but are different for males and females. Because details of injury mechanism differ between the occupant categories, such agreement suggests that the results apply to blunt trauma in general (for example, due to falls) and not just to the traffic "laboratory" that provided the data. After age 20, the risk of death from the same impact increases at compound rates of (2.52 plus or minus 0.08)% per year for males (2.16 plus or minus 0.10)% per year for females. Risk at age 70 exceeds risk at age 20 by 250% for males and 190% for females. (Author/publisher)
Abstract