PEOPLE INJURED IN MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC CRASHES WERE IDENTIFIED FROM A POPULATION - REPRESENTATIVE INCIDENCE SAMPLE OF HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS. MATCHED POLICE REPORTS OF CRASHES WERE SOUGHT IN OFFICIAL STATE RECORDS OF MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC CRASHES. OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT CASES, 55% HAD MATCHED POLICE REPORTS. THE FREQUENCY OF MATCHED REPORTS WAS HIGHEST FOR DRIVERS (74%) PEOPLE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY EMERGENCY VEHICLE (69%), AND THOSE REQUIRING HOSPITAL ADMISSION (74%). THE FREQUENCY WAS LOWEST FOR PEOPLE YOUNGER THAN 16 YEARS (28%), PEOPLE INJURED AS OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS (24%) MEDICAID RECIPIENTS (33%), AND NONRESIDENTS OF THE STUDY REGION (40%). MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC INJURIES ARE UNDERCOUNTED IN POLICE-REPORTED STATISTICS. FOR MANY GROUPS, POLICE REPORTING IS LESS THAN 50% OF THE CASES IDENTIFIED THROUGH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS. THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A CASE OF MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC INJURY WILL HAVE A MARKED POLICE REPORT DEPENDS ON DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL AND CRASH FACTORS AS WELL AS ON INJURY SEVERITY.(Author/publisher).
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