Car drivers (more than 18 years) in Northern Sweden who were fatally injured over a 13 year-period were investigated using autopsy and police reports. Fatalities per unit distance and per licenced driver were highest for the 70-year-old and more than 25-year-old drivers; these two age groups had similar fatality frequencies. The "older" (more than 60-year-old) drivers were more often at fault than the "younger" (less than 60-year-old) ones. Fatal head injuries decreased whilst chest injuries increased with age. The older drivers were more likely to die as a consequence of less severe injuries than the younger ones. The belted young drivers had fewer fatal chest injuries and more head injuries than the non-belted ones. In older drivers, fatal head injuries were more common in side impacts than in frontal impacts. Older drivers got more post-traumatic complications than the younger ones.
Abstract